The Transitional Federal Government is back in Mogadishu, assisted by Ethiopian forces and with alleged U.S backing. After the American bombing of suspected terrorist hide-outs in Somalia, critics point to Washington’s involvement as a new stage in the global “war on terror”. The Union of Islamic Courts, who controlled Mogadishu in the second half of 2006, was both authoritarian and illegitimate. Yet many ordinary Somalis also thanked them for bringing stability to a country ravaged by war for 15 years.
– What does the return of the Transitional Federal Government entail for Somalia? Who are the different factions and who do they represent?
– What’s at stake for the region, for the Western powers and for the Somali diasporas?
– What should be Norway’s policies as part of the International Contact Group for Somalia?
Speakers:
Jan Haakonsen, Special Adviser, The Research Council of Norway
Aways Sharif Abdisamad, Sociologist and adviser, Møller Resource Center
Cindy Horst, Senior Researcher, International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO)
*Register for the lunch seminar: [email protected]
Lunch will be served. The event is free of charge.
