Mogadishu ceasefire broken, clashes kill 94
A fourth day of fighting between rival militias in Mogadishu today saw the death toll rise to at least 94, after gunmen broke a brief ceasefire to the worst street combat in the Somali capital in years.
The latest battle is the third between gunmen allied to Islamic courts and militia linked to the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, a coalition of powerful warlords.
Analysts say the upsurge in street battles between the two sides suggests the failed Horn of Africa state is becoming a new proxy battleground for Islamist militants and the United States, which is widely believed to be funding the warlords.
Around 80 people were killed and 200 were wounded in the run-down area of Siisii until a ceasefire was declared late last night, Islamic militia leader Siyad Mohamed said.
But residents said new fighting broke out in the neighbourhood today and battles had erupted in Islamic courts strongholds in the north of the capital. "At least 14 people have been killed today," local elder Abdullahi Hussein said. Although 12 of those killed were fighters, most victims have been ordinary men, women and children. A mortar last night struck the Shifa hospital, killing a boy already being treated for a wound from earlier fighting.
1991 sees the start of violence
Somalia descended into lawlessness in 1991, when warlords ousted Mohamed Siad Barre, the former dictator. Many diplomats believe the clashes have been fuelled by US support for the warlords, who are reviled by the many citizens who have been terrorised or robbed at gunpoint by their militias for the past 15 years. Washington has long viewed Somalia, without an effective central government since 1991, as a terrorist haven.
Abdullahi Yusuf, Somalia's interim president, himself no fan of militant Islamists, last week said Washington was backing the warlords.
The warlords, among them Mohamed Qanyare, the national security minister, call their coalition the "Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism" in what some say was an effort to win support from the United States.
Washington has never directly answered the allegations, but has made clear it is casting a wide net for allies. - Reuters
The latest battle is the third between gunmen allied to Islamic courts and militia linked to the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, a coalition of powerful warlords.
Analysts say the upsurge in street battles between the two sides suggests the failed Horn of Africa state is becoming a new proxy battleground for Islamist militants and the United States, which is widely believed to be funding the warlords.
Around 80 people were killed and 200 were wounded in the run-down area of Siisii until a ceasefire was declared late last night, Islamic militia leader Siyad Mohamed said.
But residents said new fighting broke out in the neighbourhood today and battles had erupted in Islamic courts strongholds in the north of the capital. "At least 14 people have been killed today," local elder Abdullahi Hussein said. Although 12 of those killed were fighters, most victims have been ordinary men, women and children. A mortar last night struck the Shifa hospital, killing a boy already being treated for a wound from earlier fighting.
1991 sees the start of violence
Somalia descended into lawlessness in 1991, when warlords ousted Mohamed Siad Barre, the former dictator. Many diplomats believe the clashes have been fuelled by US support for the warlords, who are reviled by the many citizens who have been terrorised or robbed at gunpoint by their militias for the past 15 years. Washington has long viewed Somalia, without an effective central government since 1991, as a terrorist haven.
Abdullahi Yusuf, Somalia's interim president, himself no fan of militant Islamists, last week said Washington was backing the warlords.
The warlords, among them Mohamed Qanyare, the national security minister, call their coalition the "Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism" in what some say was an effort to win support from the United States.
Washington has never directly answered the allegations, but has made clear it is casting a wide net for allies. - Reuters
posted by Marko at 5/10/2006 10:06:00 AM
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