Here's an opinion piece about the "blissful stalemate" in Somalia with a cool picture of Mogadishu.

Somalia: Habeb Center for mental illness in Mogadishu marks its birthday

Tribal militias seize a police station in Abudwaq, central Somalia

Meanwhile, the cracks in the Ethiopian state appear to be widening.

A significant number of influential people from the portion of Galkayo controlled by Puntland state voiced their support for the Islamists and even announced their intention to establish their “own brand” of Islamic Courts, unofficially allied with the courts in Mogadishu and most of South-Central Somalia.

“Some of the women are saying, originally we had supported the Islamic Courts, and actually they are trying to eliminate us,” he said. “They are destroying our livelihoods - we can’t tolerate [this situation]. And some of the people are saying the Islamic Courts have become as [bad] as the warlords.”

He says many people who had previously supported the Islamic Courts Union are changing their minds now that their livelihoods and khat consumption is being so threatened.

Source

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Livestock links WSU with Somalia

This is interesting. Apparently the Digil and Mirifle clans in the Baidoa area have a group of Islamic courts called the Al-Bayan Islamic Courts that is distinctly different from the UIC. Furthermore, somebody is lying about what group the new Islamic Court in nearby Bur-Hakaba belongs to.

After the rally, I had an exclusive interview with the leader of Bur-Hakaba Islamic Court Sheik Mustafa Sheik Mohamed who narrated me about their determination to defend the land from any occupiers.

He told me that his court is directly under the control of the Union of Islamic Courts, dismissing a recent claim by Al-Bayan Islamic Courts of Digil and Mirifle clans saying that the newly formed Islamic Courts in Bur-Hakaba is branch of Al-Bayan.

Anonymous will note that the phrase "under the control of the UIC" contradicts what I wrote in my recent comment.

Is Somalia on the brink of war?

I don't think there is going to be a full-scale war in Somalia, but it appears that low-intensity warfare against Ethiopian troops will continue until they are expelled.

From Gulf News:

Suddenly, the poorest and most war-ravaged nations of the world were awash with deadly weapons that prolonged their misery. For instance, take the AK-47, the world's most widely used assault rifle. While 14 countries produce the weapon legally, in some others its illegal production has almost become a cottage industry. It is said you can buy one for as little as $30 in Somalia. Or have one made for you for a similar price in parts of southern Afghanistan.

These might be worth checking out:

http://www.saylac.com/news/newsNov01,06.htm
http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=3777