...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
and Somali government troops have made "strong progress" in a push towards an Islamist al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
stronghold, site of the world's largest displaced people's camp, officials yesterday said.
Hundreds of civilians have fled as long columns of Somali and AU troops backed by tanks advanced for a second day, moving from the capital Mogadishu towards Afgoye, a strategic town and a key base of the al-Qaeda-linked Shebab fighters.