Somalia has elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the leader of the once-ruling Islamic Courts Union, as its new president. He is Somalia’s 7th president since the 1960 independence. In 2002, Sheikh Sharif co-founded the Islamic Courts Union, which briefly ruled Somalia in 2006 and restored a rare peace and security to the war-torn country. He went into exile in Eritrea when Ethiopia invaded Somalia in December 2006 to oust his ruling group and install the weak interim government. In 2007, Sheikh Sharif was elected the leader of the opposition Alliance of the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS). In October 2008, ARS signed a power-sharing deal with the interim government, paving the way for the withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops.
Sheikh Sharif’s election has been welcomed by the US. Somalia’s neighbour Ethiopia also welcomed this election. On the other hand the Shebab group and Eritrea-based Islamic opposition have condemned his election.