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Somalia Adopts Islamic Law

Puntland President General Addeh Museh announced in a surprise move that his semiautonomous region in northeastern Somalia will adopt the rule of Islamic law. This doesn`t seem to be consistent with General Museh`s skirmishes with Islamic militants in the south trying to achieve domination of the battle struck region. This move has rendered the internationally recognized government utterly without control of the country that has been experiencing bloodshed as Islamic militants slowly gained control.

Somalia has effectively been without central government since Somalia`s dictator Mohamed Siad Barre has been overthrown by battling warlords. These warlords have been fighting for control ever since. The UN delegation in Somalia is taking measures to strengthen the local government that holds little control of regions outside the government seat in the southern town of Baidoa. Puntland has kept a secular penal code since it declared itself autonomous of the rest of Somalia which has plunged into never ending violence. "I set up a committee of scholars and traditional leaders to implement sharia law," General Museh announced.

The bloodshed in Somalia became an international agenda since Osama bin Laden announced in one of his tapes that Somalia is a part of Islam`s battle on the West. The United States claims that al-Qaida terrorists responsible for the bombings in the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania are being harbored in the country. UN secretary general`s special envoy to the region, Francois Lonseny told Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf: "We strongly urge the transitional federal institutions to remain committed to dialogue. The international community is very, very concerned."