With mortar attacks, grenade explosions, roadside bombings, kidnappings and political assassinations occurring almost daily, Mogadishu has descended into what civilians describe as the worst period since the last central government fell in 1991.

In that context, Yusuf's Ethiopian and American backers considered Gedi a problematic figure in an increasingly problematic and unpopular government. 

Premier Quits Amid Turmoil In Somalia
Pressure by U.S., Ethiopia Is Seen Behind Resignation
By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, October 30, 2007; A10

NAIROBI, Oct. 29 -- Somalia's prime minister resigned Monday amid pressure from neighboring powerhouse Ethiopia, faltering support from the United States and a power struggle with the Somali president who had appointed him.

Ali Mohamed Gedi, widely viewed as a divisive figure in a government that tolerates little opposition, told the Somali parliament: "I wasn't forced to resign. It comes from me." Then he jetted to Kenya, land of exiled African politicians.

It was not immediately clear who might replace Gedi, a significant issue in a country of finely calibrated clan politics and plentiful weapons. On Monday, Somalis in the war-battered capital of Mogadishu speculated with some nervousness on Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf's potential choice.

At present, the short list includes a former warlord as well as a cabinet minister closely allied with Yusuf, according to analysts in Mogadishu. By some accounts, Yusuf might pick someone outside Gedi's subclan, which could alienate Gedi's supporters.

"People are now worried about what will happen next, that maybe things will get worse rather than better," said Ahmed Ali, a Mogadishu businessman who recently joined the estimated one-third of the capital's residents who have fled the violence there.

For months, the Somali government and the Ethiopian troops who installed it not only have been battling brutal insurgents but have also clamped down on journalists, clan leaders and other people who express even vague opposition to the government.