Somalia's New President Sworn In

(AP)  A moderate Islamist leader was sworn in as the country's new president Saturday after parliament elected him to stabilize a country wracked by violence and anarchy for nearly 20 years.

Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed was elected in neighboring Djibouti early Saturday after the last president - a former soldier, rebel and warlord named Abdullahi Yusuf - resigned in December after failing to pacify the country during his four-years as president.

More than 1,200 people, including the new Somali parliament, attended Saturday's swearing-in at a hotel in Djibouti.

Ahmed was chairman of the Islamic Courts Union that ran Mogadishu for six months in 2006 before Ethiopian soldiers drove them from power. His election raises hopes that he will bring many of Somalia's Islamic factions into a more inclusive government.

But the Western-backed government wields little control in Somalia - just a few blocks of the capital, Mogadishu, where African Union peacekeepers patrol. An Islamic insurgent group called al-Shabab, who say they don't recognize the government, have taken over most of Somalia.

The U.S. considers al-Shabab a terror organization with links to al Qaeda.

The U.S. government congratulated Ahmed on his election, saying he has worked diligently on reconciliation efforts in Somalia.

"We urge President Sharif to reach out to the broad spectrum of Somalis who reject violence and extremism in forming a new government," the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya said in a statement. "We encourage all Somalis to support the president and his government," it added.

Somalia's parliament has been meeting all week in neighboring Djibouti to choose the new president. Sharif won easily with 293 votes after the other front-runner, the prime minister, withdrew. The second-place candidate received 126 votes.

Sharif was due to fly to the Ethiopian capital for an African Union summit after he was sworn in.

The arid and impoverished Horn of Africa nation of some 8 million people has not had a functioning government for a generation, since clan-based militias overthrew a dictator in 1991 then turned on each other.

Pirates prey on international shipping freely from Somalia's lawless shores, and analysts fear an extremist Islamic administration could become a haven for international terrorists.

There have been more than a dozen previous peace efforts and three previous governments were formed, but they never managed to take effective control over most of the country.

[jsmithcsa]

"A moderate Islamist leader was sworn in...."

What the heck is a moderate Islamist? Do you mean a moderate Muslim?

As for the calls to declare war on Somalia, the pirates don''t work for him. I''m all for going after the pirates, but (as you may recall) the government there is incapable of governing due to several wars going on.

[gramto8]

This guy is scum, we posted his police record www.theseriouspolice.com

Posted by Karenlewis44 at 12:01 AM : Feb 01, 2009

Reported like the SPAM it is.

[lewiston14]

You do not need to declare war on Somalia. As I understand these ships are parked miles off the coast because there is no ports large enough to harbor them. You just take the ships back. Should the crews be harmed of the ships blown up then it would be time to attack every shore and every port to the point they could not launch a row boat. Given todays modern radar and satellite and the ability of these war ships to fire at targets many miles away I do not think we are doing enough. Aircraft can patrol the entire length of the area with a understanding that small attack boats heading in the directions of passing ships will be shot at and taken out.

[whitewolf60]

Have to agree with ya, cattiej, those people must LIKE living that way because they don''t DO anything about it, ESPECIALLY THE WOMEN! The "men" over there should worry a little MORE about defending their own country and a little LESS about whether their newest wife has been circumcisized!

[cattiej]

It is time for the countries of the ships seized to declare war on Somalia. This new President should stop the kidnapping of the ships crews and the ships sailing off the waters of Somalia. The people of Somalia should rise up and defend their country. The dictators of Somalia should be put in prison. The people of Somalia live like it was 1909 instead of 2009, all because of the greedy and corrupt politicans. To the Presidents of the countries that are home for these stolen ships, send in your Navy and your Army and take these pirates out.