Devastating bombings hit Syrian capital as the blame game continues

New TV - Two terrorist bombings rocked the Qazzaz area in the southern part of the capital as workers, students and employees were heading to their schools, universities and workplaces. Syria's Interior Ministry confirmed the two bombings were carried out by two suicide bombers driving two booby-trapped vehicles carrying a large amount of explosive materials, estimated at over 1,000 kg. The preliminary outcome of this terrorist act is 55 martyrs, and 372 injured civilians and soldiers.

BBC Arabic - Tens of thousands participated in demonstrations across different parts of Syria on Friday to demand the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime despite the heavy security deployment of regime forces, according to activists and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Meanwhile, condemnations and international reactions to Thursday's two explosions in Damascus continue.

Algeria holds parliamentary elections amid voter apathy

BBC Arabic - Voters in Algeria are headed to the ballot boxes to cast their votes in parliamentary elections described as "fateful" by the authorities. Over 21 million people are registered to vote to elect 462 candidates affiliated with 44 political parties, and a large of number of independent candidates. However, the election campaign that looked weak did not attract much attention from many people.

Al Jazeera - Algeria's interior minister, Dahu Ould Kablia, announced the results of the parliamentary elections, saying the ruling National Liberation Front won 220 of the 462 seats. The National Democratic Rally received 68 seats, and the Islamists received almost 60 seats, including 48 for the Green Algeria alliance, which came in third place.

Israeli settlers burn hundreds of olive trees in West Bank

Palestine TV - Jewish settlers burned hundreds of trees in the villages of Bureen and Jamaeen in Nablus province with the goal of seizing more land from the Palestinians. It is an expression of their deep hatred for the Palestinian land and people. Over 100 trees were burnt in this area, located three kilometers southeast of the town of Jamaeen. The area between the town and the two settlements of Ariel and Tafuh has witnessed torching operations targeting fruit trees. The two settlements have seized vast areas of Palestinian villages in this region.

Egyptian ex-pats begin voting in Egypt's first post revolution presidential elections

Press TV - Egyptian ex-pats in several countries began voting in Egypt's first post revolution presidential elections.  Ex-pats have until May 17th to cast their ballots in Egyptian embassies and consulates.  The election's front runners took part in the country's frist ever presidential debate.  Former member of the Muslim Brotherhood Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh faced former Arab League cheif Amr Moussa over issues regarding Israel and the principles of Sharia law as the main source of legislation.

Thousands of Mauritanians declare readiness to kick out President Aziz

Al Alam - The Mauritanian opposition organized a festival in Nouakchott to demand the departure of President Mohammad Ould Abdel Aziz’s regime. The ruling party's deputy chairman, Oumar Ould Matallah, said the people placed their trust in Ould Abdel Aziz, and the president is continuing the path of reforms and combating corruption. The opposition considered the turnout a new referendum on the legitimacy of the regime. The majority says the only way to topple the president is through the ballot box in about two and a half years. Former Mauritania president, Ely Mohamed Vall, who is one of the most prominent figures supporting this movement, described the regime as a failure and finished.

Image: People run carrying a burnt body at the site of an explosion in Damascus May 10, 2012. Dozens of people were killed or wounded in two "terrorist explosions" which struck a southern district of the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, state television said. REUTERS/Sana/Handout

Ennahda: Tunisia's constitution will not be based on Islamic law

Dubai TV - The debate raging over the new constitution in Tunisia has intensified, after the government-led Ennahda Islamist Movement announced that it will not adopt sharia, or Islamic law, as the main source of legislation.

The decision was met by opposition from members of the Ennahda and its coalition blocs, which said the decision violates the principles which the party was elected based on. It is an ongoing debate over state identity, which has been polarizing the country since the downfall of the regime a year ago.

Sudan Summit Suspended After Border Clashes

Al Jazeera - South Sudan's authorities said the Sudanese army's fighter-jets shelled its border state for a second consecutive day after ground battles broke out between forces of Khartoum and Juba the day before. The long border between Sudan and South Sudan, still awaiting demarcation in accordance with the treaty recently signed by the two sides, has suddenly turned into a battlefield for military conflicts targeting the oil-rich areas in the two countries.

After several days of clashes, the Sudanese army celebrated the withdrawal of South Sudan soldiers from the disputed border region Heglig. Both Sudan and South Sudan agreed to meet in Addis Ababa do discuss security issues.

Israeli Website Recruits Retired Soldiers to Evict Palestinians

Palestine TV - An Israeli extremist recently created a website, announcing job opportunities for soldiers who completed their military service. The website is recruiting them to storm the homes of Jerusalemites and evict them to later seize their houses. These calls seek to evict citizens from their homes were started by Israeli militant Aryeh King, the director of the Israel Land Fund and a founding member of the Israeli Association for Distributive Justice, called on soldiers with a strong build to join him in evicting Jerusalemites.

Rift Widens Between Egypt's Military Rulers and Muslim Brotherhood

New TV - In Egypt, anger erupted after the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis monopolized the Constituent Assembly as the youth of the revolution are calling for a million-person march next Friday, under the banner "the constitution is for everyone."

The constitutional committee, consisting of 100 members, ended with an Islamist majority from the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafi al-Nour Party, turning the world upside down for the Islamists, who monopolized the committee as the Copts only received six seats and the youth only one seat. In a stern address, the council announced it will not allow the Brotherhood or its Freedom and Justice Party, to seize control of the constitution.

Image: Protesters hold up placards, which read "Down with Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie", during a rally against the formation of a constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution outside the Cairo convention centre March 24, 2012. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Violence in Libya continues today, coinciding with a heated political confrontation between Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and the rebel leadership, the Libyan Transitional National Council. The Council has rejected the Libyan regime’s proposal that one of Gaddafi’s sons assume power during a transitional phase. They received an additional boost as Italy announced that it officially recognizes the Transitional National Council as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people. Al-Jazeera reports that Gaddafi’s regime seems to be looking for an exit strategy after being isolated by the international community and experiencing increasing internal pressure from the revolutionaries. 

The BBC reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is attempting to implement immediate reforms in light of ongoing protests and the dozens of deaths resulting from the security forces' crackdown on demonstrators. President Assad said he would appoint a new governor of Dara'a, the southern state where tensions have been the highest. Prime Minister Adel Safar has been told to form a new government, following the resignation of Naji al-Otari's administration. Safar is affiliated with the ruling Baath Party and his appointment spawned large-scale protests.

Dubai TV is reporting from Yemen, where ongoing clashes between the Yemeni authorities and protestors have left several dead and many injured. As the violence in Yemen escalates, the US, which has long supported President Ali Abdullah Saleh, has quietly shifted its position and said Saleh should be eased out of office.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has decided to hold talks with the Yemeni government and opposition leaders in an attempt to solve the escalating crisis in the country. Nile TV reports that the Council's foreign ministers have accused Iran of conspiring against the region’s countries and of interfering in their affairs by fueling sedition and religious division among their citizens.

New TV features a profile on Ali Shariati, a “philosopher and teacher of the Islamic Revolution.” While he inspired revolutionaries across Iran, he spent much of his life either in exile or in prison and was considered an infidel in Iran because of his criticisms of the authority of religious leaders and their distortion of holy texts.

Somalia has not had an effective government for almost 20 years. The Somali government has struggled to gain relevancy, but it has been plagued by corruption and has been battling warlords and militant groups such as the al-Qaeda- linked al-Shabab.

This week Augustine Mahiga, the U.N.'s top envoy for Somalia, warned that more international peacekeepers are needed in the war-ravaged country because of the growing threat from insurgent groups. He also told the Security Council that he is concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Somalia and its potential impact on the entire region.

"The threat level in Mogadishu and southern-central Somalia has actually increased, therefore, IGAD and the African Union foresee a new AMISOM troop level of up to 20,000 in the coming months. The African Union Peace and Security Council will soon submit to the U.N. Security Council a request for authorization for increased troop levels for Mogadishu and other strategic locations in Somalia," Mahiga said.

Recently, al-Shabab fighters disguised in Somali military uniforms stormed a hotel favored by lawmakers in the capital Mogadishu, firing indiscriminately and killing 32 people, including six parliamentarians. The attack came after a warning was issued by al-Shabab that a new “massive war” is about to be launched against the government. The militant group wants to establish a Taliban-style Islamic Sharia law in the country.

In a similar attack in December 2009, a suicide bomber detonated himself at a university graduation ceremony about 1.5 miles from the recent hotel attack, killing 24 people, including three government ministers, medical students and doctors.

These attacks show that al-Shabab, which controls wide areas of Somalia, can penetrate even the few blocks of the capital under the control of the government and African Union troops. The situation is reminiscent of Afghanistan before the entire country was overrun by the Taliban.

Is Somalia the next Afghanistan?

The current situation in Somalia is eerily similar to Afghanistan in the 1990s, which was in total disarray, with no central government or functioning economy. Warlords battled freely over territorial pockets and small weapons were plentiful. Yet , very little news coverage has been provided in the West about the dangerous situation in Somalia today. The coverage has been sporadic, only making headlines when Somali pirates have attacked freighters and tankers.

I attribute the lack of the United States’ interest in Somalia to its raid there in 1993, when 18 soldiers and two Black Hawk helicopters were lost. At the time, U.S. troops were in Somalia to try to capture powerful Somali warlord Mohammed Aidid from his stronghold in Mogadishu and take him to a ship anchored off the nearby coast. This operation is often remembered as a tragic fiasco. Millions of Americans still remember watching the body of a dead U.S. soldier being dragged through the streets on television. This tragic incident and the U.S. involvement in two wars, Afghanistan and Iraq, is enough reason for many Capitol Hill politicians to avoid US engagement in the war-torn country. Yet, it’s only a matter of time before al-Shabab takes over the capital and establishes a Taliban-like government, imposing its rule throughout the land.

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