Fighting Subsides in Mogadishu
Somalia's Transitional Federal Government Says the Worst is Over
After nine days of heavy battle in the Somali capital, the city has become quiet again and some people are returning but a cholera outbreak looms on the city's outskirts.
After some of the worst fighting Mogadishu has experienced in 16 years, there is now relative calm in Somalia's capital. The battle for control of Mogadishu has pitted an alliance of Somali and Ethiopian troops against Islamist insurgents and clan militia. According to Reuters, at least 1,300 people have perished in the crossfire in recent weeks.
The government claims that last week's three-day offensive allowed them to achieve an advantage over the Islamists, which has led to a break in fighting. On April 26, Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi announced that his Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was in charge of the city and that the worst of the hostilities had ended. But as some of Mogadishu's residents slowly filter back into their city, it remains unclear whether insurgents have been defeated or if they are reorganizing themselves.
In an effort to preserve order in a city that owns a reputation for its lawlessness, the TFG appointed two former warlords to key positions. Abdi Hassan Awale will become national police boss and Mohamed Dheere will assume the responsibilities of mayor of the battle-scarred capital. The current TFG is the 14th attempt at restoring a ruling administration to Somalia, which has lacked a central government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
Ethiopian forces have slowly begun their withdrawal from Somalia and are meant to be replaced by African Union (AU) forces. 8,000 troops are required for the mission but, to date, only 1,200 peacekeepers have been deployed. On April 30, the United Nation's (UN) Security Council requested to the UN that contingency plans be drawn up for Somalia by mid-June, should the need for any forces become necessary.
An additional crisis
The number of displaced persons in Somalia, according to a UN spokeswoman, is higher than numbers in Iraq, Darfur and Sri Lanka. According to the UN's estimation, around 350,000 refugees have left Mogadishu since February and many remain scattered on the periphery of the city in small camps or in neighbouring towns.
The UN also added that the displaced are now facing the possibility of a cholera outbreak in the camps surrounding Mogadishu. While mortality rates are relatively low at the moment, the problem could become much worse as diseases spread quicker due to overcrowding and because people are becoming weaker.
Since January, there have been more than 17,000 cases of cholera / acute watery diarrhea reported in southern and central Somalia, resulting in approximately 600 deaths. In the camps, the medical staff, all volunteers, have been working around the clock to try to contain the situation.
