Al-Qaeda Creating Breeding Grounds in Africa

By Eric Sande

President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of Somalia has condemned Islamic insurgents, accusing them of turning Somalia into a breeding ground of Al-Qaeda, which is aimed at terrorising the entire Horn of Africa.

Speaking to world leaders at the UN General Assembly, Sharif said that Al-Qaeda was working in cahoots  with the Al-Shabaab activists who have currently taken control of central and southern Somalia, the born of contention for more than two decades.

“They are killing Somali citizens, cutting their throats, cutting off their limbs and they have carried out horrible crimes against humanity such as cutting off the heads of their victims and throwing them away. This movement does not believe in Somalia as a country and does not believe in the creation of a government in Somalia but wants to turn the whole of the Horn of Africa into a terrorist hub for their Al-Qaeda handlers to wreak havoc in the region and beyond,” Sharif told the Assembly.

An outrageous number of foreign fighters are inflowing Somalia to join Al-Shabaab, says UN officials, and in many cases are leading insurgent attacks against African Union troops. The international community has been increasingly critical of the transitional government in Somalia, questioning the ability of Mr Sharif to establish a stable government. The mandate of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) expires in August 2011.