Somalia militia returns for peace talks

September 26 2004 at 12:09PM

By David Mageria

Nairobi - A key Somalia factional leader has returned to peace talks in Nairobi, raising hopes for an end to recent fighting in the south of the country, mediators said on Sunday.

Hundreds of Somalis have fled to Kenya this month to escape the violence and aid workers have warned of famine after rival fighters clashed around the southern port of Kismayo in recent weeks, disrupting efforts to help more than 16 000 people suffering from severe drought.

Mediators said warlord Said Hersi, known as General Morgan, who three weeks ago began advancing in Kismayo in hopes of taking it back from rival Juba Valley Alliance (JVA) militia coalition, had declared a ceasefire and decided to return to the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

"He came back on Saturday. We are still talking to him to know what is on his mind," said a Kenyan official involved in the Somalia peace talks.

The militia's aides also confirmed his return but refused to say whether he would resume his role in the peace talks.

Somalia disintegrated into anarchy after former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991 as clans pressured by famine and political turmoil launched battles for territory.

Divided into a warring patchwork of clan-based fiefdoms, Somalia has grappled with a series of peace initiatives to unite the country, the latest bid launched 21 months ago in Kenya.

The process has agreed on a new parliament which is due to select a president next month, who will try to establish a credible central government for the Horn of Africa country.

General Morgan had participated actively in the initial stages of the talks before he left to fight for Kismayo, prompting regional leaders to threaten sanctions against him.

The African Union's representative in the Somalia talks Mohammed Ali Faum told Reuters that with the return of General Morgan, all the important players in Somalia politics would be present at the talks.

"We have been expecting him since Friday, if he has come it is good news because we don't want any single leader to be out of this process," Faum said, adding that he expected the rival Colonel Barre Hiirale also to return to the talks from Kismayo.