Ugandan troops spared in Somali fighting
Mar 31, 2007
AS fierce fighting raged on in the Somali capital, the Ugandans in the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia have reached a non-aggression agreement with the traditional elders of the Hawiye, the most powerful clan in Mogadishu.
By Emmy Allio
and Agencies
AS fierce fighting raged on in the Somali capital, the Ugandans in the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia have reached a non-aggression agreement with the traditional elders of the Hawiye, the most powerful clan in Mogadishu.
Hospital sources in Mogadishu told The New Vision that between 65 and 70 people had been killed and 330 wounded in two days of fighting, which started when Ethiopian and Somali forces launched a major attack on suspected Islamists insurgents and clan-militias.
As shells rained down on the city and deafening tank fire shattered homes, witnesses saw two Ethiopian helicopters firing on an insurgent stronghold, before one of them was struck by a missile or rocket-propelled grenade.
“I personally witnessed the helicopter being fired at and going down near the airportâ€, an NGO worker said. “It fell close to the compound of the Ugandans.â€
"Smoke billowed from the cabin and it turned towards the ocean," confirmed Swiss journalist Eugen Sorg, who watched from a nearby roof. "It crashed at the south end of airport runway."
Terrified locals said there was no let-up in the battles.
"A mortar has just fallen into the house next to me. We can hear crying and can see smoke," Faisal Jamah, a south Mogadishu resident, told Reuters. "We barely slept ... The sky was lit up by shelling all night."
"There are a lot of wounded, but there is no way to take them to the hospitals due to the fighting on the roads," he added.
Local broadcaster Radio Shabelle said machine-gun fire was echoing around the main soccer stadium, where Ethiopian soldiers and insurgents had dug trenches just a few metres from each other.
“Ethiopian troops have been surrounded by insurgents at the stadiumâ€, said the NGO worker. “They are trying to fight their way out.â€
Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said a major reconciliation conference scheduled for mid-April was still on track. Moderate Islamists would be invited, he said.
"Those who renounce violence and recognise the Transitional Federal Charter can participate," he told the BBC from Riyadh.
The Ugandans have been spared in the violence of the past days, thanks to a truce which was agreed on Wednesday. “The Hawiye and the Ugandans have agreed not to fight each otherâ€, the spokesman of the Hawiye clan, Dr. Ahmed Dirie, told The New Vision in an exclusive interview.
“So far, Ugandan soldiers are our best friends. We held talks with them on Wednesday. They told us that they were not behind the attacks against the Hawiye and will not support any group fighting us,†Dirie said by telephone from Mogadishu.
Asked if the Hawiye would take part in the reconciliation conference, Dirie said they were still contemplating their position.
“Before the current fighting, we were ready for the national dialogue. But now we are reconsidering. What is there to dialogue over? The dead and the wounded?†he wondered.
and Agencies
AS fierce fighting raged on in the Somali capital, the Ugandans in the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia have reached a non-aggression agreement with the traditional elders of the Hawiye, the most powerful clan in Mogadishu.
Hospital sources in Mogadishu told The New Vision that between 65 and 70 people had been killed and 330 wounded in two days of fighting, which started when Ethiopian and Somali forces launched a major attack on suspected Islamists insurgents and clan-militias.
As shells rained down on the city and deafening tank fire shattered homes, witnesses saw two Ethiopian helicopters firing on an insurgent stronghold, before one of them was struck by a missile or rocket-propelled grenade.
“I personally witnessed the helicopter being fired at and going down near the airportâ€, an NGO worker said. “It fell close to the compound of the Ugandans.â€
"Smoke billowed from the cabin and it turned towards the ocean," confirmed Swiss journalist Eugen Sorg, who watched from a nearby roof. "It crashed at the south end of airport runway."
Terrified locals said there was no let-up in the battles.
"A mortar has just fallen into the house next to me. We can hear crying and can see smoke," Faisal Jamah, a south Mogadishu resident, told Reuters. "We barely slept ... The sky was lit up by shelling all night."
"There are a lot of wounded, but there is no way to take them to the hospitals due to the fighting on the roads," he added.
Local broadcaster Radio Shabelle said machine-gun fire was echoing around the main soccer stadium, where Ethiopian soldiers and insurgents had dug trenches just a few metres from each other.
“Ethiopian troops have been surrounded by insurgents at the stadiumâ€, said the NGO worker. “They are trying to fight their way out.â€
Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said a major reconciliation conference scheduled for mid-April was still on track. Moderate Islamists would be invited, he said.
"Those who renounce violence and recognise the Transitional Federal Charter can participate," he told the BBC from Riyadh.
The Ugandans have been spared in the violence of the past days, thanks to a truce which was agreed on Wednesday. “The Hawiye and the Ugandans have agreed not to fight each otherâ€, the spokesman of the Hawiye clan, Dr. Ahmed Dirie, told The New Vision in an exclusive interview.
“So far, Ugandan soldiers are our best friends. We held talks with them on Wednesday. They told us that they were not behind the attacks against the Hawiye and will not support any group fighting us,†Dirie said by telephone from Mogadishu.
Asked if the Hawiye would take part in the reconciliation conference, Dirie said they were still contemplating their position.
“Before the current fighting, we were ready for the national dialogue. But now we are reconsidering. What is there to dialogue over? The dead and the wounded?†he wondered.