Is there any hope for stability in Somalia? The future looks bleak as it deals with a growing Islamic insurgency and power struggles within its already weak central government.

Despite the presence of a 7,000-plus African Union force, President Sharif Ahmed's government controls only a few areas around the capital, Mogadishu.

Much of Somalia's central and southern regions are held by the Hizbul Islam and al-Shabab Islamist groups.

The African Union is pushing for more troops to bring stability, but many say their presence is actually adding to an increasingly hostile environment.

Adding to that is the controversy over the president's appointment of Somali-American Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as prime minister which has sparked divisions within the Transitional Federal Government.

On Tuesday's Riz Khan, we ask: What can be done to help a failed state such as Somalia recover?

We speak with Abdulkadir Abdirahman, the communication director of Somali Cause, and Said Samatar, a professor of African history at Rutgers University.

This episode of Riz Khan aired from Tuesday, October 26, 2010.