Deegaan. Polirics and War in Somalia 327
several peace and reconciliation efforts held in Addis Ababa under the auspices
of the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the hter-
Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). it has also intervened mili-
tarily in Somalia by capturing three main dishicts in the Gedo region. Ethiopia's
interest is to promote a decentralised state system in Somalia that will have less
influence and power in the Horn of Africa region, reflected in the good relations
between Ethiopia and Somaliland and to find alternative access to the sea fol-
lowing the secession and war with Eritrea.14 Egypt's interest is a centralised
state system that can be controlled and that is capable of increasing tensions on
Somalia's border with Ethiopia.ls Doing so would occupy the government of
Ethiopia and divert its attention and resources from the development of Nile
waters. Egypt has realigned with the government of Sudan in competition over
access to and control over Nile waters. Both countries have the support of their
respective regional otganisations. In addition, the Arab League supports Egypt
while the Ethiopian government has the support of IGAD.
The Ethiopian-Eritrean war complicated the competition between Egypt
and Ethiopia over Somalia. Proxy wars between Ethiopia and Eritrea were
fought inside Somalia. Eritrea was accused of supporting factions in Somalia
fighting against Ethiopian-backed groups in Somalia. Libya and Sudan sup-
port the Mogadishu-based factions, Aideed in particular, purely for their anti-
United States policy while Yemen hosts a large number of Somali refugees
and maintains strong commercial ties with Somalia.
Kenya's interest lies in the gat trade and its need to contain lawlessness
on its border with Somalia. The Somali refugee burden is another issue moti-
vating Kenya's concern for political developments in Somalia. It is quite clear
that key Somali players, the new breed in Somali politics, are manipulating
differences between external actors.Peace and Reconciliation Initiatives
The UN, the EC and the Djibouti government have facilitated a number of
peace and reconciliation efforts. Although they have failed to take root, some
of them have had positive impacts. The UN tried official diplomacy by tar-
getting the direct waning groups, mainly the warlords, while the EC and the
Djibouti government tried unofficial diplomacy by targetting members of the
civil society. None of these initiatives have considered the importance of land
issues or the relationship between deegaan and political strength.
The United Nations in Somalia
With the assistance of the Ethiopian government, the UN facilitated itself in
two peace and reconciliation efforts in Addis Ababa in January and March