Somali militia 'agrees ceasefire' :: Namibia Internet Gateway cc ::

Articles: Somali militia 'agrees ceasefire'

Posted by admin on Monday, March 27, 2006 - 08:22 AM

An Islamic militia fighting for control of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has agreed to a ceasefire, local clan elders have said.

Somalia has been controlled by rival militias for the past 15 years

A rival alliance of warlords and businessmen, who have held the city for 15 years, say they will respond to the proposal on Monday. Some 70 people in Mogadishu have died and 200 were injured over four days of factional fighting in northern suburbs. Somalia's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf has appealed for calm. Most appeared to have heeded his call, with the streets of Mogadishu falling comparatively quiet on Sunday. However, residents said the city's hospitals seemed full as doctors struggled to treat those injured in the fighting. 'Port taken' After days of violence, local clan elders moving between the two sides appear to have succeeded in restoring some kind of calm.

SOMALI STRUGGLE

No government for 15 years

Peace process was inching forward

Mogadishu fighting worst since 1996

'Anti-terror' warlords fighting Islamist militia

The dispute between Islamic militia fighters and the alliance of warlords began on Wednesday near Mogadishu's port. The Islamic militia backs an emerging system of Islamic courts, which supporters hope can establish law and order in Mogadishu. The warlords, alongside a group of powerful businessmen, have controlled the city since 1991. The BBC's Africa editor David Bamford says the militia now appears to have full control of Mogadishu's vital el-Maan port, as well as access roads to the city. The warlords, who have yet to agree to the ceasefire, say the Islamists have a different agenda, terrorising the community and assassinating Islamic moderates. The emergence of the militia has united rival Somali warlords after years of fighting, our correspondent adds. Peace plea Earlier this weekend, President Yusuf met members of the transitional parliament in an attempt to exert some sort of central authority.

Facts and figures about life in Somalia

At-a-glance

"I see this fighting as unnecessary after 15 years of civil war. It is not right to start new fighting. The two sides should stop what they're doing," he told the BBC on Saturday. Somalia has been without an effective central government for 15 years and has been carved up by rival militias. The transitional parliament met recently for the first time on home soil since it was formed in Kenya more than a year ago as part of attempts to restore peace and stability.

· 125 Reads ·