Monday, February 02, 2009
Part I
Part II
A new chapter in Somali politics begins with the election of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed as Somali president.
The former leader of the Islamic courts movement, which ruled Mogadishu and Southern Somalia for six months during 2006, before being ousted by Ethiopian troops, Ahmed has become president of a government which comprises transitional government members as well as ARS members.
He faces many challenges. Piracy, civil unrest and a humanitarian crisis.
Somalia's new president has taken office and has a huge task ahead of him.
Sheikh Sharif Ahmed had to be sworn in in Djibouti because of the unstable security situation in his own country.
If humanitarian problems of poverty, famine and displaced people were not enough to deal with, Ahmed also faces the opposition and unwillingness of the country's most radical Islamist group, Al-Shabab.
Ahmed must also find a way to heal the rift between members of his own parliament who are divided between former transitional government members and members of the ARS.
With a divided parliament, a starving population, interfering neighbors and the military threat of Al-Shabab will the new president cope with all these challenges?
Can Sheikh Sharif lead his country out of a long dark tunnel of civil war and chaos?And how will the new Somali government deal with neighboring countries?
Today's guests are Stig Hansen, senior reseacher at the International department of the Norwegian institute for city and regional research and author of the book "Borders of Islam".
Also joining the discussion is Dr. Abdi Kusow, professor of Sociology at Oakland University, Michigan; and Abuka Armin, a writer on Somali affairs who has contributed to the likes of the International Herald Tribune and the Middle East Times.
This episode of Inside Story aired from Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 1730GMT and 2230GMT and is repeated at 0430GMT and 0830GMT on Monday