Somalia Crumbles, Again

The United States and its allies may have missed an opportunity to rescue a failed state.

AT THE END of last year, a slender opportunity opened to stabilize Somalia, a failed state in the Horn of Africa that has become a haven for members of al-Qaeda and for other Islamic extremists. With the assistance of U.S. Special Forces, troops from neighboring Ethiopia launched an offensive that overturned the Taliban-style Islamist government that had controlled the capital, Mogadishu, and much of the southern half of the country. A transitional government backed by the United Nations took over, while diplomats scrambled to arrange for an African peacekeeping force to replace the Ethiopians. Many of the extremists scattered; some were reportedly killed in U.S. airstrikes while others were captured at the Kenyan border.

Three months later, the opportunity may have been lost. Heavy fighting erupted in Mogadishu late last month, with regrouped Islamists and their allies arrayed against Ethiopian forces, which have failed to withdraw. Hundreds were killed and thousands were added to the approximately 100,000 refugees from Mogadishu recorded by the United Nations since the beginning of the year. The al-Qaeda leader in Somalia is reportedly back in Mogadishu, as is one of the senior commanders of the former Islamic government. Only 1,200 of the 8,000 planned peacekeepers have arrived, and they are dedicated mostly to guarding the airport and seaport. Once again, anarchy threatens to overtake a country that has not had a stable government since 1991.

Somalia's problems may be intractable, but some of the blame here must go to outsiders. African countries such as Nigeria and South Africa failed to deliver desperately needed peacekeepers; only Uganda contributed. Eritrea, Ethiopia's bitter enemy, has been backing the Somali Islamists -- something that ought to earn Eritrea's government consideration for U.S. and European sanctions. The United States and European governments failed to use their leverage to get peacekeeping forces into Somalia or to pressure the transitional government into cutting deals with Somali groups that are not adequately represented in the government -- particularly the Hawiye clan of Mogadishu, which has been allied with the Islamists.

On Saturday, the senior Bush administration official working on Somalia, Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer, visited the country for the first time to meet the president and prime minister. She delivered the right message, urging the government to stick to a fragile cease-fire and "return to a political process to try and build support and legitimacy." To its credit, the administration has pledged $40 million in aid to Somalia and asked Congress for $60 million more. Let's hope it's not too little and too late.