Somalia has been drifting toward a new war since the
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was formed in late
2004 but the trend has recently accelerated dramatically.
The stand-off between the TFG and its Ethiopian ally on
the one hand, and the Islamic Courts, which now control
Mogadishu, on the other, threatens to escalate into a wider
conflict that would consume much of the south, destabilise
peaceful territories like Somaliland and Puntland and
possibly involve terrorist attacks in neighbouring countries
unless urgent efforts are made by both sides and the
international community to put together a government of
national unity.
