THE UNION OF ISLAMIC COURTS, key factor in Somalia conflict

During the six months that the Union of Islamic Courts ruled Mogadishu, it brought order to the capital. Finances for the courts were reportedly being provided by rich individuals in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.

The government also says that Islamist radicals from around the world have gone to help the UIC. This is strongly denied by the Islamic courts. There have also been reports that Eritrea - which has a long-running border dispute with Ethiopia - has been supplying arms to the Islamists.

A leaked UN report says that 2,000 "fully equipped" Eritrean troops are working with the UIC. This is denied by the authorities in Asmara. The chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, wrote to the UN, the European Union and the United States, calling for the establishment of friendly relations with the international community, based on mutual respect.

In a four-page letter he denied giving sanctuary to Islamic extremists, or groups loyal to al-Qaeda. But another key UIC leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, is on a US list of individuals linked to terror groups. There are now fears that the UIC will now operate as an insurgency group.