News
Newly elected Somalia President Mohamud unharmed in apparent assassination attempt
Somalia has not had a credible central authority since the 1991 ouster of former president Siad Barre but Mohamud’s election came as a semblance of normality returned to Mogadishu and hopes of a recovery grew.
In his acceptance speech, Mohamud promised to bring Somalia back into the international fold, but he inherits an ongoing war, a humanitarian crisis, feeble institutions and deeply entrenched warlordism.
Wednesday’s attack dampened hopes that Al-Shabaab would be more inclined to sit down at the negotiating table with the new president than his predecessor.
As a former top leader in the Islamic Courts Union that overran the country in 2006 and gave birth to the Al-Shabaab group, Sharif was always considered a traitor by Islamist hardliners after taking the top job in 2009.
Copyright 2012 AFP.
