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Violence Hits South Mogadishu

The Reporter (Addis Ababa)
NEWS
March 3, 2007
Posted to the web March 3, 2007

By Namrud Berhane
Addis Ababa
Brother in-law to Somalia's Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi was one of the five
people who died in Mogadishu on Tuesday in an apparent wave of assassination-
style killings.
The killing came as African Union envoys were holding talks with the interim
government on the deployment of peacekeeping troops.
Hardliners and supporters of the ousted Union of Islamic Courts have, however,
threatened to use force against any foreign intervention in Somalia.
Ugandan peace keepers are expected to arrive in Somalia next week.
An AFP journalist was in the vicinity of the incident and witnessed as four
heavily armed men blocked Yusuf Mohamed Dhisow's car and opened fire at the
Bakara Market in south Mogadishu.
In a separate incident, two more lives were lost as gun men ambushed the convoy
of the chief of Mogadishu Port, Abdi Jiidow.
Elsewhere in southern Mogadishu, attackers shot at the car of local Police
Chief Ibrahim Abdi Adan, injuring one civilian, according to a security guard
and a witness, AFP reported.
An elderly man who has not been identified was also found dead. The body,
according to witnesses, exhibited signs of torture.
Also, the commander of the vigilante group was killed Tuesday night.
Ahmed Hersi Mohamed, known as "Dhashane", the commander of the local militia
hired for the security in the villages of Mogadishu, was killed also in south
of the capital as he came out of a Mosque near Bakara market.
In recent days, the interim government of Somalia has been making efforts to
restore order in the capital which has seen an increase in violence.
Mohammed Mohomoud Guled Ga'amo Dhere, the interior minister of the Somali
transitional government, said in Mogadishu that changes have occurred in the
city in the past days.
"We have held talks with the people who oppose the government, Mogadishu clan
leaders and some of the remnants of the Islamic Courts in the capital
Mogadishu," he said.
Ga'amo Dhere said the mortar attacks against the government and Ethiopian
military bases has subsided but that they have been replaced by assassinating
innocent civilians.
"The government's intelligence community is engaged in determining who the
perpetrators are and once we find them, they will be seized," he said.
Somalia's interim parliament on Wednesday is reported to have postponed
endorsing an anti-terror bill which would lay down the death penalty as
punishment for anyone who is accused of terror.
"Anybody who assists, trains, or provokes terrorists will receive one or more
of the above mentioned punishments," the bill said.
It also bans the use of symbols, flags, and teaching used by known terrorist
organizations, without specifying which groups.
Already endorsed by the council of ministers, the bill is now due to be voted
on at the weekend, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, Uganda's President, who is about to send 1,500 of his troops to
Somalia, has asked the factions in Somalia to refrain from violence and called
for dialogue.
"The militias should not worry about any mischief. We are going there to help
them rebuild the state by ushering in peace, and not to fight anybody,"
Museveni told a news conference in Kampala late Tuesday.
"We are already in contact with leaders of some militia groups to make them
understand our role in bringing about peace, and this is one reason why we will
not fail," Museveni said.
Specific date of the arrival of the peacekeepers has not been indicated for
security reasons.
Four other African countries have so far agreed to contribute troops - Nigeria,
Ghana, Malawi and Burundi. However, the troops pledged by those countries are
only half the required 8,000 peacekeepers needed.


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