September 7, 2005

East African nations, who had offered to send 10,000 peacekeeping troops to Somalia, have backed off. The UN has refused to lift its arms embargo, a step that would allow the peacekeepers to get weapons into the country. Moreover, warlord violence in Somalia has not declined, and the peacekeepers fear they would just get pulled into the ongoing clan and warlord fighting.

Kenya renewed a technical and economic co-operation agreement with Somalia, which had been suspended 14 years ago when Somalia slid into anarchy. The agreement regulates commerce and other forms of cross border activity. However, the new government does not control all the border crossings into Kenya, local warlords do.