| Summary: | Independent since 1960, Somalia has seen virtually constant political upheaval. Chaos still reigns in the capital, Mogadishu, and throughout Somalia. Some eighty percent of the nation is under the power of guerrillas and local warlords. Taking advantage of the chaos, Islamic fundamentalist groups such as al Qaeda frequently infiltrate. Suspected to be the main financial source for al Qaeda, all assets in the al Barakaat bank, the country's main bank, were frozen and remittances from workers abroad to their families at home were stopped, which aggravated the confusion and deepened poverty in the nation. Finally, Somalia has become a target in the post-Afghanistan "war" against terrorism.
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