Castro Posted April 22, 2007 Somalian government tells Mogadishu residents to flee The Associated Press Sunday, April 22, 2007 MOGADISHU, Somalia: Rotting corpses lay in the open and explosions shook Mogadishu on Sunday for a fifth day of fighting between insurgents and allied Somali-Ethiopian troops that have killed at least 230 people. The government, warning of an upcoming offensive, called on residents living in insurgent strongholds to leave their homes. In a separate development that could increase tension in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea suspended its membership in a regional body that mediated the Somali conflict. The unresolved border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia has drawn the two countries into war in the past; the Somalia conflict has also lately been seen as a proxy battle between them. In an ever-growing exodus some say is nearing half a million people, hundreds more Somalis trudged out of Mogadishu on Sunday, dragging and carrying belongings. "I have lost all hope," one woman said, walking at the head of 11 relatives, mainly children. Terrified residents shuddered at the sound of mortars, mainly from the north where fighting has been worst. "Seven of us were in a bus when a mortar hit," said a trader, Barlin Salad. "Four were in the back, one died instantly. I'm not sure yet, but I think my husband has lost an eye." With an insurgency simmering since the ouster of militant Islamist rulers from Mogadishu at the start of the year, violence this past week has been one of the worst sustained flare-ups since then. The local Elman Peace and Human Rights Organization said at least 41 civilians and 6 insurgents died Sunday, adding to 52 Saturday and 131 from Wednesday to Friday. Residents fear that the real toll may be much higher, while the number of Ethiopian and Somali soldiers killed is unknown. A previous four-day spike in fighting at the end of March killed at least 1,000 people, mainly civilians. Around Mogadishu, rebels were barricaded behind makeshift sandbanks and raced through streets in pick-up trucks turned into battle-wagons. Ethiopian and Somali government troops fired heavy artillery and raided rebel strongholds in armored cars. Bodies lay on the streets Sunday, some mutilated and decapitated by incessant shelling that has pulverized residential neighborhoods considered Islamist strongholds. The main Madina hospital was so full that the wounded were forced into tents in the garden or just under trees. With Somalis trying to bury their dead quickly in accord with Muslim custom, some were digging makeshift graves by the road. Somali government forces captured Tawfiq Hotel, which was owned by a businessman sympathetic to the insurgents, said Salad Ali Jelle, deputy defense minister . "People in Mogadishu should vacate their homes which are located near the strongholds of terrorists and we will crack down on insurgents and terrorists very soon," Jelle told The Associated Press. The Islamists ruled most of south Somalia for the second half of 2006, before being defeated by the interim government and its Ethiopian military backers in a war at the start of the year. But Islamist fighters, backed by some disgruntled ****** clan elements and foreign jihadists, have regrouped to rise up against President Abdullahi Yusuf's administration and his Ethiopian allies, whom they regard as hated foreign invaders. The government, in turn, accuses them of Al Qaeda links. "The terrorists want to make Somalia a base to attack East African and other international targets," Jelle said at a news conference called to display two truckloads of land mines collected in two parts of the city. "The international community should help us eliminate them." A 1,500-strong African Union force, working with the government, has so far failed to stem the violence. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of sending arms and men to support the Islamists, while Eritrea says Addis Ababa is occupying Somalia illegally at the behest of the United States. Eritrea's exit from the seven-member Intergovernmental Authority on Development was a blow to diplomatic efforts to unite foreign opinion on pacifying Somalia. At a recent meeting, the authority backed Ethiopia over Eritrea. "The government of Eritrea was compelled to take the move due to the fact that a number of repeated and irresponsible resolutions that undermine regional peace and security have been adopted in the guise of IGAD," an Eritrean statement said, referring to the authority. International Herald Tribune Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tahliil Posted April 22, 2007 Castro; In the likely event of these thugs Yeeyo and Gedo fanaxleey being indicted for war crimes, where do u think the tribunal court will be set up...Arusha or the Hague? Is the EU also a participant of this genocide since they funded and supported the TFG in principle??? is there a case against them too? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Castro Posted April 22, 2007 It's highly unlikely these thugs will ever face any legal justice. What is more likely depends on how favorable they are to Meles when the shit hits the fan. Likely outcomes when Ethiopian leave: 1) They leave with the invaders and spend their retirements in Addis or some other African nation. 2) They decide to stay and fight till the end and get killed unceremoniously by the resistance. There will be no war crimes tribunal for these criminals but probably street justice. The EU couldn't care less about Somalia even if it pretended and they're certainly not going to hold themselves responsible for simply funding these thugs. They've funded much worse conflicts and have gotten away with it. Besides, it's difficult to tell where the EU ends and the "international" criminal court begins. Street justice inshallah. You know, in the living room of a Villa Somalia, on the road out of Mogadishu, downtown Baidoa, etc.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Castro Posted April 22, 2007 Tahliil, I'm sure you're aware that the US is no signatory to the International Criminal Court and below is an article on the ICC and the EU. There'll be no justice coming from the financiers of Somalia's calamity. The International Criminal Court and the European Union sign an agreement on cooperation and assistance. The Hague, 10 April 2006 ICC-CPI-20060410-132-En On 10 April 2006, the International Criminal Court and the European Union concluded an agreement on cooperation and assistance. The agreement was signed in Luxembourg by Judge Philippe Kirsch, President of the Court and Her Excellency Ursula Plassnik, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria on behalf of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This agreement will enter into force on 1 May 2006. Judge Philippe Kirsch noted in his remarks that “the signing of this agreement is a significant development in the continued cooperation between the International Criminal Court and the European Union”. The agreement covers areas such as attendance of meetings, exchange of information, security, testimony of staff of the European Union and cooperation between the European Union and the Prosecutor. In order to facilitate cooperation and assistance, the agreement also provides for the establishment of regular contacts between the Court and the European Union and the establishment of the European Union Focal Point for the Court. The International Criminal Court signed a Relationship Agreement with the United Nations in October 2004 while an agreement with the African Union is being negotiated. Source Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peacenow Posted April 23, 2007 Welcome back Castro. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites