Monday, February 23, 2009

Somali president urges Islamists to halt attacks on peacekeepers

Ahmad: These are not invading forces

MOGADISHU: New Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad urged Islamist hardliners Monday to end attacks on African peacekeepers after 11 Burundian troops were killed in the deadliest assault on the force. Sunday's suicide attack in Mogadishu, claimed by the Islamist Al-Shebaab militia, took place when suicide bombers drove a vehicle into an African Union (AU) peacekeeping camp as the troops were offloading supplies.

"The peacekeepers are not invading forces but they come to the country with permission" of the government, said Ahmad, who is an Islamist cleric.

"Therefore they should not be attacked," added Ahmad, who is currently finalizing the line-up of his government after his January 31 election.

Al-Shebaab vowed Monday to continue attacks against the AU peacekeeping force.

"This is our land and you are nonbelievers," said the statement. "Leave us for your safety or we shall never tire of increasing your death toll."

The AU's Peace and Security Council director Geofrey Mugumya said the bloc would probe "gaps and grey areas that we need to fill up" to avoid a repeat of Sunday's carnage, and find out "what might have led to this attack."

Mugumya spoke after an emergency meeting at the bloc's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Six soldiers were killed immediately, but Burundi Army spokesman Colonel Adolphe Manirakiza said the death toll had risen to 11 after "five seriously wounded soldiers succumbed to their wounds."

He said 15 other soldiers had been wounded, the most seriously of which had been evacuated to Nairobi for treatment.

Sunday's attack brought to 20 the number of peacekeepers killed since their deployment in the war-riven Somali capital in March 2007.


It was the second on the Burundian base within a few days, the previous attack leaving one civilian dead and two wounded.

The Burundi government condemned the bombing as "barbaric" and said it would only strengthen its resolve to bring peace to the Somali people.

"Attacks by these evil forces will not deter Burundi or the AU to help Somalis. We will reinforce our contingent with material and personnel."

Burundi and Uganda have been shouldering responsibility for the AU mission in Somalia, staffing the entire 3,400-strong contingent which is far short of its planned strength of 8,000.

As well as being under-manned, the AU mission's effectiveness has been hampered by under-funding and lack of equipment as Somalia's civil war, dating back to 1991, drags on.

The organization's resolve has been severely tested by the pullout of Ethiopian forces last month, two years after an ill-fated intervention on behalf of the weak transitional government aimed at ousting an Islamist government, in which Ahmad and Al-Shebaab were members.

Their pullout sparked security fears in Somalia, which has lacked a central authority since plunging into conflict with the 1991 ouster of President Mohammad Siad Barre.

Somalia had enjoyed a relative lull in clashes since the president's election.

Although fighters allied to Ahmad took control of key road blocks in Mogadishu last week, the Al-Shebaab retain some positions in the seaside city and continue their guerrilla attacks.

Source: AFP, with The Daily Star

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