KENYA: Thousands of jubilant Somalis filed into a sports stadium in Nairobi yesterday to cheer the man they hope will bring peace to their shattered country.
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, a 70-year-old warlord, was sworn in as president, marking the end of years of anarchy that have rocked the country since 1991.
Soon after the ceremony, he called on the international community to send peacekeepers, saying, "International forces are required to participate in the pacification of the country and train the security apparatus of the state. This is essential," he said.
Heads of state from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Yemen were among those attending the inauguration in a show of support.
Although Mwai Kibaki, president of Kenya, praised the two-year peace process that had delivered a government, he underlined the scale of the job ahead.
"The cost of 14 years of war has been enormous. More than 500,000 people have reportedly lost their lives. Another two million have been displaced with 1.5 million living as refugees outside Somalia.
"About 90 per cent of all school buildings have been destroyed and only about 17 per cent of children are enrolled in schools. At the same time, 70 per cent of Somali people live below the poverty line," he said.
"As we celebrate this momentous occasion, I would like to note that there are great challenges facing the transitional Government of the Federal Government of Somalia."
However, President Yusuf must first turn his attention to disarming the rival militias that have carved Somalia into fiefdoms before he can start rebuilding basic infrastructure.
He must also think ahead to the democratic elections scheduled for 2009, albeit without a functioning army, police force or government offices.
Yet despite the words of caution, optimism echoed throughout the stadium. Mahmoud Mohamed Hayd, a member of the Transitional Parliament, said the prospects of peace were greater than the previous attempt to form a government in Djibouti four years ago.
"This time is different. There were only Somalis at the Djibouti conference. Now we have the international community," he said.