CONFUSION AND CHAOS IN SOMALIA

Somalia’s Al-Shebab group seized control of the south-central town of Baidoa. The Shebab, once an offshoot of the Islamic Courts, has been gaining grounds across Somalia. Its fighters had relentlessly fought the Ethiopian troops and government forces, carrying out an Iraq-style guerrilla war, including ambushes and roadside bombs. While the Shebab captured Baidoa, the seat of parliament, lawmakers were meeting in neighbouring Djibouti to discuss amending the constitution to expand the legislature to include more opposition members. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the head of the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and Islamic Courts leader, confirmed running for president.