The Agence France-Presse reported today that
<http://afp.google. com/article/ ALeqM5gIAhT7g8Un Jxl2ZOC7_ MXuoeQCMQ
Islamist militants are urging shopkeepers to accept Somali shillings instead of US
dollars to help curb inflation. They also said they would “punish” those who
refuse to comply.
Inflation began rising early last year when Somali government and Ethiopian
forces began a push to drive out Islamic militants.
Food riots and anti-US protests in Somalia are compounding the chaos in the
long-suffering war zone in the Horn of Africa.
Meanwhile, an Amnesty International Report released Tuesday alleged that
Islamist militants, as well as US-backed Ethiopian and Somali government
troops, are committing widespread atrocities against civilians in the
capital, Mogadishu. And a recent US strike against what it says was an Al
Qaeda leader in Somalia has sparked further protests.
The Associated Press reports that Tuesday saw a second day of
<http://customwire. ap.org/dynamic/ stories/S/ SOMALIA?SITE= MABOC&SECTION= HOME&
TEMPLATE=DEFAULT> protests over rising food prices, with hundreds of youths
burning tires, throwing stones, and blocking roads.
Somalia is just the latest country to see riots over rising food prices,
after others including Haiti, Egypt, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso. The
Financial Times has a map of the civil unrest sparked by the food crisis
<http://media. ft.com/cms/ bea578a8- 12d9-11dd- 8d91-0000779fd2a c.swf> here.
The protests began when shopkeepers refused to accept some bank notes, over
fear of counterfeiting. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on
Monday, and troops fired into the crowds.
hat tip-OSINT
