May 20, Nairobi Somalia's first central government in a decade is struggling to assert its authority, sparking fears that the country could once again disintegrate into the anarchy it witnessed in the early 1990s. There are no properly functioning ministries. With government offices in ruins, most Cabinet ministers conduct their daily business in heavily guarded homes or hotel rooms. One member of parliament has been assassinated since the administration was installed in August, and two others recently survived attacks in which at least a dozen aides and bodyguards were killed. Mogadishu's airport and seaport remain inactive and outside government control.
Secessionist administrations rule the north.
Frequent battles, politically motivated killings and periodic kidnappings of foreigners punctuate the insecurity. Analysts say that establishing a legitimate government is crucial to ensuring Somalia's renewed claim to nationhood and for preventing regional insecurity. Obstacles facing President Abdiqassim Salad Hassan and Prime Minister Ali Khalifa Galaydh are considerable. Most of the country is a shambles. Roads, buildings and telephone lines have been destroyed.