Gabbal Posted April 20, 2006 Somali clans fear all-out war in Mogadishu April 20 2006 at 01:55AM Mogadishu - Rival militiamen are gearing up for new clashes to win control of the Somali capital, sending thousands of terrified people fleeing from their homes, Mogadishu residents said on Wednesday. Gunmen loyal to Islamic courts and the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) who fought pitched battles in the city last month have re-armed themselves for what residents fear may be all-out war, they said. "Some people are very much terrified and they are leaving their houses since most are sure violence will erupt," said Daudi Yakubu Mohamed, a taxi driver who has so far ferried 23 fleeing families from enclaves in southern Mogadishu. Businessman Ahmed Ismail Abukar said dozens of terrified families have fled the volatile Daynile district in southern Mogadishu to the Hamerwein district in the central part of the city, which is inhabited by less belligerent clans. "People are leaving their homes and taking refuge in relatively peaceful neighbourhoods that are not dominated by Islamic courts or the alliance," Abukar told reporters. Several hundred extended families, accounting for more than 2 000 people, have left their homes seeking safety as militiamen have deployed in various parts of the city, residents said. Arms dealers in Mogadishu's Bakara and Argentine markets said their stocks have been emptied in recent days as the two sides boost weapons and ammunition supplies in anticipation of major clashes. "The market is dry and demand is high," said one trader, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. At least 52 people were killed and hundreds displaced in Mohgadishu in March when the two sides squared off in the bloodiest clashes since the country collapsed into anarchy with the 1991 ousting of strongman Mohammed Siad Barre. The ARPCT, seen by many here as a US-backed anti-Muslim instrument, was formed in February with the stated goal of battling the threat of terrorism posed by the alleged growing influence of Islamic extremists around Mogadishu. The city's powerful Islamic courts, which provide a semblance of stability in the parts of the city they control, deny US and alliance allegations that they are harboring al-Qaeda operatives and training foreign fighters. Washington has refused to comment on claims of its direct involvement in Somalia but on Wednesday issued a statement through the US embassy in Nairobi appealing for calm in Mogadishu. "The United States calls upon all Somalis to work together to encourage restraint and calm in the city," the embassy said in its first public comments about Somalia in several months. "Provocations and fresh outbreaks of violence in Mogadishu can serve only the interests of extremist elements," it said, urging that all differences be resolved through dialogue and the support of Somalia's transitional government. On Tuesday, the prime minister of that government, Ali Mohamed Gedi, said he had struck a deal with the United States to patrol Somali territorial waters to curb rampant piracy and stem terrorist threats. But Washington later denied any such agreement existed, while acknowledging that the US and Somali government officials were discussing counter-terrorism and anti-piracy efforts. - Sapa-AFP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabbal Posted April 20, 2006 Mogadishu faction fighters regroup NAIROBI, April 19 (Reuters) - Two factions which recently clashed in Mogadishu are moving militias to strategic positions for a fresh round of fighting for control of the Somali capital, residents said on Wednesday. Up to 90 people died last month in Mogadishu's worst battles in years, between militias linked to the Islamic courts and those tied to the Mogadishu Anti-Terrorism Coalition, comprising most of the capital's powerful warlords. Fleeing residents said tension in the city was high as each side stockpiled weapons and ammunition, moved fighters into position and strengthened their 'technicals' -- flat-bed trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns. "The city is on the brink of war," one weary resident, Abdifatah Abdulkadir, told Reuters by telephone. "I saw several technicals belonging to the coalition patrolling our Bula Hubay neighborhood while Islamic court militia are stationed in our backyard." Many Somalis believe the United States is funding the influential warlords as part of Washington's war on terrorism but the U.S. government denies it. The charge has given the Islamic courts, funded by prominent businessmen, another rallying cry against warlords vying for control of Mogadishu. The courts are the only authority in parts of northern Mogadishu and mete out justice under sharia law. "My immediate neighbours have already fled to Afgoye," Abdulkadir said. "I'm planning to take my kids to Bravo before the guns start blazing." Somalia has had no functioning central government since warlords ousted military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, heralding 15 years of lawlessness. Neither the government nor the militia backers had any comment on the situation. "START SHOOTING" Ali Nur, a fighter allied to the warlord coalition, said his fellow militiamen were just waiting to pull the trigger. "There's nothing else remaining except to start shooting," he told Reuters, without elaborating. On the Islamist side, fighters were closely watching the coalition's movements, ready to hit back if attacked. "We will not attack them but if they try to attack us we will defend our positions," one source close to the Islamists said. One Somali analyst said there were signs a new round of fighting would be worse than the clashes in the barren outskirts of the capital last month. "We should expect a disaster because unlike the previous battles this time round they plan to engage each other in the city," said the analyst, who declined to be named. The recent violence in Mogadishu shows how little control Somalia's fledgling interim administration has over the nation of 10 million people. Formed in neighbouring Kenya in 2004, the government moved to Somalia last year, meeting in the southern city of Baidoa because of insecurity in Mogadishu. Most of the Mogadishu warlords are lawmakers or ministers, while the Islamist factions have their allies in government. Source: Reuters, April 19, 2006 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabbal Posted April 20, 2006 Mogadishu faction fighters regroup NAIROBI, April 19 (Reuters) - Two factions which recently clashed in Mogadishu are moving militias to strategic positions for a fresh round of fighting for control of the Somali capital, residents said on Wednesday. Up to 90 people died last month in Mogadishu's worst battles in years, between militias linked to the Islamic courts and those tied to the Mogadishu Anti-Terrorism Coalition, comprising most of the capital's powerful warlords. Fleeing residents said tension in the city was high as each side stockpiled weapons and ammunition, moved fighters into position and strengthened their 'technicals' -- flat-bed trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns. "The city is on the brink of war," one weary resident, Abdifatah Abdulkadir, told Reuters by telephone. "I saw several technicals belonging to the coalition patrolling our Bula Hubay neighborhood while Islamic court militia are stationed in our backyard." Many Somalis believe the United States is funding the influential warlords as part of Washington's war on terrorism but the U.S. government denies it. The charge has given the Islamic courts, funded by prominent businessmen, another rallying cry against warlords vying for control of Mogadishu. The courts are the only authority in parts of northern Mogadishu and mete out justice under sharia law. "My immediate neighbours have already fled to Afgoye," Abdulkadir said. "I'm planning to take my kids to Bravo before the guns start blazing." Somalia has had no functioning central government since warlords ousted military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, heralding 15 years of lawlessness. Neither the government nor the militia backers had any comment on the situation. "START SHOOTING" Ali Nur, a fighter allied to the warlord coalition, said his fellow militiamen were just waiting to pull the trigger. "There's nothing else remaining except to start shooting," he told Reuters, without elaborating. On the Islamist side, fighters were closely watching the coalition's movements, ready to hit back if attacked. "We will not attack them but if they try to attack us we will defend our positions," one source close to the Islamists said. One Somali analyst said there were signs a new round of fighting would be worse than the clashes in the barren outskirts of the capital last month. "We should expect a disaster because unlike the previous battles this time round they plan to engage each other in the city," said the analyst, who declined to be named. The recent violence in Mogadishu shows how little control Somalia's fledgling interim administration has over the nation of 10 million people. Formed in neighbouring Kenya in 2004, the government moved to Somalia last year, meeting in the southern city of Baidoa because of insecurity in Mogadishu. Most of the Mogadishu warlords are lawmakers or ministers, while the Islamist factions have their allies in government. Source: Reuters, April 19, 2006 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
