Somali Cause condemns the recent violence against civilians and the unity government

Somali Cause strongly condemns the unprovoked attacks against innocent civilians and the government of national unity by armed opposition groups including al-Shabab, Hizbul-Islam, Raskamboni, Al Muhajireen and others. Those who are waging war in the name of religion must remember that anyone who kills an innocent person is as though he has killed all mankind. (Quran 5:32)

Somali Cause also condemns in the strongest terms this senseless violence that has killed hundreds and uprooted thousands from their homes in a matter of days.

Somali Cause urges the armed opposition groups to:

Immediately cease all hostilities without any preconditions
Accept the decisions of Somali scholars by supporting the government of national unity.
Refrain from killing innocent civilians in the name of religion
Support and participate in the reconciliation and rebuilding process
Denounce violence and embrace dialogue and reconciliation

Somali Cause also urges the International community, humanitarian organizations and neighboring states:

To ban the leaders of these warring opposition groups from using your territory and freeze any assets they may have in your financial institutions.
Warn the perpetrators of this senseless violence that even if the Somali government is not currently capable of bringing them to justice, ultimately the international community may step forward to stop the carnage and bring those responsible to justice.

Assist those who are internally displaced with shelter, food and medicine.

Somali Cause warns the Somali government that it must:

1. Put all effort to reconcile with the opposition through peaceful means

2. Come up with a clear plan of action on how to fulfill its mandate

3. Increase accountability and transparency of its actions and decisions

And finally, Somali Cause urges the Somali people to:

1. Resist those who prefer senseless fighting over peaceful reconciliation

2. Reject any division among themselves based on religion or tribal grounds. These same divisions that have been used for nearly two decades to justify the use of force to get to power.

3. Document all abuse and killings by criminals who must face justice one day.

Sincerely,

Abdirizak Omar Mohamed

Chairman

Email: abdirizakom@gmail.com

Somali Cause is an umbrella of seven Somali organizations in the USA and Canada that united to: (a) Educate the world about the plight of the Somali people, (b) Provide humanitarian assistance to the suffering people of Somalia, (c) Provide an alternative to the clan and regional based politics, and (e) Safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.

Member organizations include:

Alliance for Peace and Development (AFPD), Columbus, OH
Baltimore Somali Community, Baltimore, MD
Greater Boston Somali Community, Boston, MA
Somali Advocacy council, Washington DC
Somali Canadian Diaspora Alliance (SCDA), Toronto, Canada
Somali Diaspora Network (SDN), Fairfax, VA
Somali Institute for Peace and Justice (SIPJ), Minneapolis, MN