Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The deal increases the number of seats in parliament to include the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, a relatively moderate group that has split from the fighters at the heart of the country's Islamist insurgency.
The agreement struck during U.N.-backed talks in Djibouti appeared unlikely to alter the chaos in Somalia, which is struggling with the ferocious insurgency. Hard-line members of the opposition have denounced the talks and previous deals have not ended the violence.
Al-Shabab,
the extremist group at the center of the insurgency, did not
participate in the Djibouti talks. The State Department considers
al-Shabab, or "The Youth," a terrorist organization.
SOURCE: AP, Wednesday, November 26, 2008