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April 1, 2006

Somalia: Islamic Court Assault Kills Two

We mentioned on March 27 that a tentative ceasefire had been brokered in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, following an outbreak of fighting that had started a few days previously. The fighting had been caused by members of militias allied to Somalia's Islamic Courts, who had arrived on buses with concealed arms at a checkpoint, where they commandeered a truck with mounted machine-guns in the neighbourhood of Galgalato, in the north of the city.

The assault had been an outcome of threats made on March 13 by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, leader of the Union of Islamic Courts, to take control of Mogadishu by force. The fighting in Galgalato escalated as militiamen allied to the Islamic Courts and their opponents (led by Bashir Rage of the Counter-Terror Alliance) gathered reinforcements. In the ensuing battles, in which anti-aircraft guns, assault rifles, machine guns and hand grenades were employed, more than 90 people died, and more than two hundred people, many of them civilians, were injured.

Today, reports from Reuters state that talks on the ceasefire broke down on Wednesday 29 March, and today, an attack was made upon an Islamic Court. Two civilians, a man and a woman, were killed in the attack, and a third individual, a male civilian, was injured.

The attack was led by fighters backed by the warlords who have kept Somalia in a state of chaos since the dictator Mohammed Said Barre was ousted in 1991. It took place in the north of Mogadishu, in a region ruled by Muse Sudi Yalahow (pictured), a warlord who is the Somali Trade Minister and is also a member of the Counter-Terror Alliance.

There is now a climate of fear in the region, as people expect the fighting to now flare up again. In the Yaqshid region of north Mogadishu, an overfilled tyre exploded, killing four people, states Shabelle News. This caused panic, with residents prepared to flee.

In Hamarweine District, the former commercial district of Mogadishu, controlled by warlord Hassan Nuur Diini Booka, has been sealed off, states Shabelle. Booka is opposed to the Counter-Terror Alliance, and refuses to allow any of their vehicles to pass through the region.

In Cirtogte market in Mogadishu, there has been an increase in sales of AK-57 assault rifles, grenades and missiles. Theprice of an AK-57 has increased from $240 to $500. Many of those seeking to arm themselves are civilians.

In a separate incident today, Shabelle, a gunfight broke out in the city after gunmen at a checkpoint in the city demanded extortion money from two trucks belonging to a mineral water company. The trucks had armed men on board, and in the gun battle, one of the militiamen was killed, another person was killed, and three others were wounded. Those injured are said to be innocent bystanders.

There is a widespread suspicion that the situation in Somalia is being encouraged by the United States, who are thought to support the Counter-Terror Alliance.

Some of the members of the Union of Islamic Courts, such as Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys(pictured above right) are believed to have links with terror groups such as al-Qaeda. We reported in October of Aweys' group which he formerly ran, the al-Ittihad al-Islami, which is believed responsible for terror attacks in neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya, and is on the UK's list of proscribed groups. At that time, both the Islamic militias and factions allied to the interim government of Somalia were amassing weapons.

The Islamic Courts, who seek to establish Sharia Law in the country, already act as terrorists, closing down cinemas, sports bars and even film-editing studios. Like the warlords, their militias too establish makeshift roadblocks where they extort money from passers-by.

And in more disturbing news today, Al Jazeera reports that an oil tanker has been seized off the coast of Somalia yesterday, shortly after it offloaded a cargo of fuel. Hijackings of ships have increased recently.

We reported last October of the hijackings of two ships carrying relief supplies for famine-hit areas of Somalia. The three ships, the MV Semlow, the MV Torgelow and the MV Miltzow were part of the UN's World Food Program. Warlords with links to the government are believed to be involved with ship piracy in the region.

The situation for many in Somalia is becoming desperate, as a result of a severe drought in the Horn of Africa. Yesterday, according to Reuters AlertNet, the UN announced that soon, as many as 10,000 people a month could be lost to starvation, if the drought does not break. The UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has had to nearly double its funding requests for Somalia. A large part of the increased demand for money reflects the need to protect food supplies from raids by warlords and pirates who have looted humanitarian aid resources recently.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 1, 2006 3:01 PM

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