November 10, 2007:
The Hawiye clan, which has long
dominated Mogadishu, is being displaced by Ethiopian and Transitional
Government troops. The latter are from clans outside the city, who will move in
to take the place of Hawiye clan families now fleeing. There are over 1.5
million people in refugee camps in southern Somalia. Most of the new ones are
from Mogadishu. Some factions of the Hawiye clan are supporting
government. The Hawiye clan is the largest in Somalia, with over two million
members and dozens of "sub clans." Those Hawiye clan factions that
have joined the Islamic Courts Alliance, or simply don't want other clans
moving into the city, are fighting back. It's a losing battle. Over half a
million people have fled Mogadishu this year, and they are now leaving at the
rate of 10,000 a week. Ethiopian and government troops are clearing one
neighborhood after another. This begins with house-to-house searches for
weapons, followed by artillery and tank fire if anyone shoots at them. Fighting
in the last week has caused over 300 casualties. In addition to the fighting,
southern Somalia is in the midst of a famine. But emergency food shipments are
having a difficult time getting past the pirates, and the warlords who demand
payoffs at roadblocks, or just steal the food and the trucks.
November 8, 2007: The UN has concluded that sending
peacekeepers to Somalia is not a viable option, which probably means the 1,700
Ugandan peacekeepers that are already there, will be withdrawn. The Ugandans
are not doing much besides protecting their own base, and the airport.
November 6, 2007: In the last week, American
warships have moved against four merchant ships seized by pirates. In each
case, the pirates fled or were captured, and the ships liberated. The pirates
have been operating farther from the coast, often in waters previously
considered safe. The U.S. Navy is not going after the coastal towns the pirates
operate from, but is indicating the that the pirates should stick close to the
shore.
November 5, 2007: Pirates freed a Taiwanese
ship, held since April, after paying a $220,000 ransom. The pirates had
demanded a million dollars.
November 4, 2007: At least one more battalion of
Ethiopian troops has entered Mogadishu, and it appears that another brigade is
being sent to the city.