...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Wednesday that they have taken over the security of the Afgoye corridor from the Somali soldiers.
Since the joint forces of TFG and AMISOM made major military gains against the Al shabab beyond the capital this year, the main road links Mogadishu to the agricultural town of Afgoye has witnessed a lot of insecurity and robbery acts against the civilian buses by gangs.
Afgoye had been a main Al-Shabaab
... the personification of Somali state failure...
stronghold for three years, and a major success for AMISOM forces since deployment in Somalia in 2007.
The town was also a fortified stronghold for beturbanned fascisti because it sets at a strategic crossroads, linking the capital, Mogadishu, with western and southern parts of the country.
Al-Shabaab's withdrawal from Afgoye without fierce resistance follows a pattern of retreat, including a pull-out from positions in Mogadishu last August, and their abandonment of the key city of Baidoa to Æthiopian and Somali troops in February.