We were all shocked with the scale of Vegas shooting, but the horrible truth is that if it happened in some third world country - there wouldn't be many of those who cared about it.
Deadliest ever bombing highlights Somalia’s weakness
Nairobi – Last weekend’s truck bombing in Mogadishu killed at least 358 people, making it the deadliest in Somalia’s history, an attack that analysts say underscores the fragility of the internationally-backed government.
With Somalia’s security forces disorganised and riddled with corruption, and deepening suspicion between central and regional governments, the October 14 blast highlights the al Qaeda-aligned Shabaab’s ability to exploit state weakness and prosecute asymmetric war to deadly effect.
Evicted from the capital in 2011, the Shabaab has maintained its control in many rural parts of central and southern Somalia.”There have been no recent strategic gains” on either side, says Roland Marchal, a researcher at Sciences Po in Paris — neither for the Shabaab nor the Somali army, backed by African Union troops and an increasingly active US military.
For example, the recent Shabaab gains around Mogadishu were, the ICG says, permitted by the withdrawal of government forces in a row over unpaid salaries.
“Unless the government shifts its posture and engages with the federal member states so they become partners in fighting Shabaab, instead of trying to fight both Shabaab and the federal member states, I don’t think we’re going to see very much progress,” says Bryden.


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