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MOGADHISHU-Somalis expressed hope on Thursday that Barack Obama's election to the U.S. presidency would help end anarchy in the Horn of Africa nation which Washington views as an important front in its 'war on terror'.Somalia has suffered 17 years of civil conflict, the latest manifestation a two-year Islamist insurgency against the Western-backed government and its Ethiopian military allies.Kidnappings and assassinations are rife and there was no word on Thursday on the fate of six foreigners-two Kenyan pilots and four European aid-workers-seized in central Somalia the day before.Ethiopia is the main U.S. ally in the region, and its intervention in Somalia since 2006 is viewed by some analysts as a proxy action for U.S. President George W. Bush's government."We are very happy because we think Obama will eliminate Bush's pressure and mistreatment of the Muslim world and Somalia," said Mohamud Hussein, a local elder in Mogadishu. "We believe he will help Somalis make their country peaceful and financially assist them. We were extremely happy to hear of his victory because he is an African."Obama faces a complex situation in Somalia, which some people dub an "African Iraq" and where a series of U.S. air-strikes have been targeting alleged al Qaeda suspects.If the United States encourages Ethiopia to withdraw its troops, that may give ground to hardline Islamists who want to topple the government. But it may also encourage a U.N.-brokered peace deal under consideration between moderate Islamists and the government which hinges on Ethiopia's exit.To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah...
