Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



8 months on, Somalia's government cannot tame Mogadishu
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 29 - 08 - 2007

The killings in Mogadishu, Somalia's
bloodstained capital, are not going away. Nearly every day,
the city endures street battles, roadside bombs, showers of
bullets, accoridng to AP.
This is not how it was supposed to be.
Eight months after the U.N.-backed government supported by
troops from neighboring Ethiopia rolled into Mogadishu
promising peace, divisions over clan, politics and power
are stronger than ever. The chaos is allowing a deadly
Islamic insurgency to gain momentum in a region seen as a
key battleground in the war on terror.
«We stayed here in Mogadishu through all this fighting
because we thought things would calm down if the government
became powerful,» Asho Abdi Nor told The Associated Press
this week as she fled the city with her family. «But now
the Islamists are promising to redouble their attacks, and
we will be the victims.»
Somalia has been ravaged by violence and anarchy since
warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991,
then turned on each other. The current government was
formed in 2004, but has struggled to assert any real
control.
A radical Islamic group with ties to al-Qaida ruled the
capital and much of southern Somalia for six months last
year, until they were driven out in December when Ethiopia
_ the region's military powerhouse _ sent in troops.
Remnants of the group have launched an insurgency, vowing
to realize their dream of ruling Somalia according to the
Quran.
«A martyr like me should devote his precious life by
defending Islam,» an insurgent fighter, Abu Khalid, told
AP.
Human Rights Watch has accused all sides in the conflict
of war crimes, saying the battles target hospitals and
other medical facilities. The fighting has decimated the
capital, already one of the most violent and gun-infested
cities in the world. Thousands of civilians have been
killed since December, and a fifth of Mogadishu's 2 million
residents have fled.
Earlier this month, two prominent Somali journalists were
assassinated, one outside his office and the other as he
returned from his fallen colleague's funeral. The motives
are unknown in a city teeming with people desperate for
power.
Somalia's government spokesman acknowledges that violence
has increased in recent weeks, but said it's only because
«the terrorists are now using their last gasp to
survive.»
«What is happening now is a security operation, and it
will continue until security is fully restored,» he said.
But the government has announced before that it has crushed
the insurgency, only to watch it rise again.
A National Reconciliation Conference _ which also has been
the target of insurgents _ has been going on since July,
but organizers have announced no major breakthroughs. Much
of the stalemate is due to clan allegiances _ there are
dozens of clan factions in the capital, each making demands
on the government and each a potential spoiler.
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf's Darood clan has little
or no presence in the capital, leaving him with no local
allies. The majority of Mogadishu residents are from a
rival clan, the Hawiye, which is itself riven with factions
whose warlords in the past divided up the capital among
themselves.
The Islamic group, meanwhile, has not even joined the
meeting and most of its leaders are in hiding.
«Powerful sub-clans are totally alienated from the
governance of the country, and have allied themselves with
the Islamists in order to undermine stability and take down
the transitional authority,» said John Prendergast, a
senior adviser with the International Crisis Group, which
monitors conflict zones.
The United States has repeatedly accused the Islamic group
of harboring international terrorists linked to al-Qaida
and allegedly responsible for the 1998 bombings of the U.S.
Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. America is concerned that
Somalia could be a breeding ground for terror, particularly
after the Islamists gained power briefly last year and
Osama bin Laden declared his support for them.


Clic here to read the story from its source.