Violence has spiked once again in the Somalian capital as government troops backed by Ethiopian forces clash with what seems to be the remnants of the Islamic Courts militia. This has pushed the UN Security Council to state its support for an African Union force that would take over responsibility from the Ethiopian army.

Unfortunately the U.S. has played unhelpful role in Somalia over the past year, in part it seems, because the Bush Administration does not understand the dynamics of the sub-region.

Going forward, it is very important that a unified AU approach is taken to brokering a permanent peace in this war torn country. The last thing Somalians or the global community need is for Somalia to become the next front against Al Qaeda. With that in mind the one thing the Bush Administration should be doing is encouraging its key allies such as Egypt and Libya to support the AU mission – additionally it is important that the Saudis are told that they must not play a negative role in Somalia.

Let’s hope that the Administration plays this one smart in the coming months and support the AU while adopting a behind the scenes role.

Worryingly, regional commentators suggest that the lack of understanding on the part of many actors may lead to the failure of the AU mission – this is deeply troubling and must not be allowed to happen.

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