Somalia's Warlords Re-Emerge As a Threat (AP)

[Eugene]

Somalia's Warlords Re-Emerge As a Threat
Somalia's warlords re-emerge from shadows to threaten relief work, U.N. says

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Feb. 14, 2007
By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN Associated Press Writer

(AP) Somalia's warlords are re-emerging and pose a threat to humanitarian aid
deliveries to the needy, the United Nations warned Wednesday, as the government
struggles to quell growing unrest.

Rising violence and a power vacuum caused by the ousting of Islamic forces by the
transitional government could lead to a return of the chaos that plagued Somalia
for 16 years, the U.N. said in a monthly report.

The spiraling violence is also likely to undermine attempts to deploy an African
Union peacekeeping mission designed to protect the country's weak, Ethiopian-
backed government and train a new army for the lawless nation.

"The re-emergence of warlords also raises serious concerns about the need to
ensure principled humanitarian action and a do-no-harm approach," the U.N said.
The report warned it was critical to avoid the "coercion and violence" perpetrated
by warlords and their militias in the past, as they sought to cash in on aid flowing
into the country.

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Full article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/14/ap/world/mainD8N9L6NG0.shtml