Is anyone paying attention to Somalia?

This country has been war torn for decades and without a central government for much of that time. Some would contend that in January the radical Islamists, the Islamic Courts Union, were beaten back in the Battle of Ras Kamboni.

The war has continued. The past week has seen a dramatic escalation of violence between the Ethiopian and Somali troops and the Islamic and clan insurgents. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and the hospitals are overwhelmed. Nearly 100,000 people have fled the violence since February. The many reports on AllAfrica offer details on the fairly dire situation in Somalia. The UN pleas for an end to the violence continue to go unheeded. Refugees are being turned away by nearly every country in the area. The dead remain in the streets as people fear for their safety.

Control of Somalia provides control over the Gulf of Aden, the entry point to the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean. If radical Islam succeeds in gaining control of Somalia, the countries around the Red Sea will be increasingly vulnerable. Maybe it just doesn't matter.