Resumed Fighting in Mogadishu
Ethiopian forces attempt to push out remnants of Islamist insurgents
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says that Mogadishu is experiencing the worst violence the city has seen in 15 years. For three days Ethiopian and Somali troops have battled the remnants of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) militia. The Associated Press says that clan elders have tried to negotiate several ceasefires but are powerless against young extremists.
Six months of rare calm had been established by the UIC in Mogadishu and southern Somalia but their intention of introducing Islamic law throughout the land concerned the moderate United Nations-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which was based in Baidoa. In December, Ethiopian forces supporting the TFG chased Islamic militants from Mogadishu and quickly took control of the capital. But Islamist radicals and clan militia continue to fight for control of the capital.
The Islamists have accused the TFG of being the puppets of the Ethiopian government and have, in the past, vowed to eliminate foreign intruders. The United States claims that the UIC has links to al-Qaeda and some analysts feel foreign jihadists could join the fighting.
The latest violence has paralyzed Mogadishu. The streets are too dangerous for civilians to venture outside. Taxis and buses are out of commission. Families cannot risk taking their relatives to the hospital and many doctors have been unable to make it to work. Although 1200 Ugandan troops are currently in Mogadishu, ahead of an African Union force that is expected to reach 8,000 and eventually replace the Ethiopians, the current chaos threatens to doom their mission.
The victims
On March 30, insurgents shot down an Ethiopian helicopter, killing the two-man crew and then dragging their corpses through the streets. AFP reports the Ethiopian government claims they have killed 200 insurgents. But civilians have been the main victims, the innocent bystanders as rockets and heavy artillery rains upon their city. Reuters reports that "hospitals are overflowing with wounded" civilians and that 40 per cent of the casualties are women and children. Witnesses also say that bodies are lying in the streets.
The situation is dire. The commercial areas, markets and stores have been closed and people are now searching for food. They may decide to join the 58,000 who have already fled Mogadishu since the beginning of February. Aid workers report that over 10,000 people have left the city in the past few days. The mass exodus has caused problems in Kenya, where officials are worried that Islamists may be trying to hide.
Despite this most recent and brutal setback, Somalia's interim government remains resolute that reconciliation talks with clan elders, politicians and ex-warlords will still proceed on April 16.
