The Rise and Fall of Mogadishu’s Islamic courts

CHATHAM HOUSE: APRIL 2007
• Multilateral efforts to support Somalia have been undermined by the
strategic concerns of other international actors – notably Ethiopia and the
United States.
• Security in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has severely deteriorated since
the US-backed Ethiopian intervention in the country.
• The Islamic Courts, which were ousted, had strong support in the
country but fell victim to the influences of ‘extremist elements’ within the
country and an Ethiopian power eager for the Courts’ downfall.
• The standing of the Islamic Courts was damaged by their defeat but the
subsequent disorder has served to make their time in control appear as a
‘Golden Age’.
• Support for the Courts has been fairly consistent for over a decade and
is unlikely to melt away. click the top .......for more