Fears of Renewed Fighting In Somalia

Joyce Mulama

NAIROBI, June 4 (IPS) - If President Abdullahi Yusuf had his way, the transitional government of Somalia, which operates from exile in neighbouring Kenya, would relocate to Baidoa, some 220 kilometres southwest of the capital Mogadishu. His other choice is Jowhar, a town located some 90 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu.

Yusuf enjoys little support in the capital, which is controlled by an army of unruly, rag-tag militiamen. He prefers to sit in Baidoa or Jowhar on a temporary basis until all the militias in Mogadishu have been disarmed and security restored.

But Yusuf's concerns are not shared by some Members of Parliament (MPs) mainly from Mogadishu. They are demanding that the government move to the capital as stipulated in the transitional constitution.

Somalia's transitional government was formed in Kenya's capital Nairobi early this year, following security concerns in the Horn of African country.

Unfortunately for Yusuf, fighting broke out in Baidoa early this week, further heightening the rift in the government, over relocation.

Thirteen people were killed and 29 others wounded in the clashes, according to the presidential spokesperson Yusuf Baribari. ‘'We regret what happened. We are appealing to those involved to refrain from any further escalations especially when it has to do with the loss of human life,'' he told journalists in Nairobi on May 31.

‘'Those who are opposed to the relocation plan are against peace and particularly the security of the Somali community. It is unfortunate that after 14 years of war, there can be further loss of life in our region. This is really unfortunate,'' Baribari added.

Somalia slipped into chaos following the fall of the dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991. Since then, the country has been ruled by warlords some of whom have declared autonomy or independence: the northeast region of Puntland, for example, operates independently, while Somaliland, a former British colony, which merged with the rest of Somalia in the 1960s, is seeking international recognition as an independent state.

The fighting in Baidoa, a town controlled by legislator Mohammed Ibrahim Habsade, followed attacks by forces loyal to ministers Sheikh Aden Madobe and Hassan Mohammed Nur ‘'Shatigadud'', both of whom support president Yusuf's decision to relocate to Baidoa.

Habsade prefers the government to sit in Mogadishu; he fears that if it rules from Baidoa, he will lose control of the town, according to Somali sources. Such fears are compounded by Baidoa's proximity to neighbouring Ethiopia, which has been accused of supplying weapons to President Yusuf's supporters.

This is not the first time that Ethiopia's name is featuring in Somalia's internal affairs. Last month ten Somali ministers and legislators accused Ethiopia of arming militias in Baidoa. They said Ethiopia's interference would fuel the conflict in the region.

‘'We consider these actions by the Ethiopian government unlawful. We appeal to the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to stop Ethiopia, once and for all, from its aggression towards the Somali people,'' MP Abdalla Haji Ali, told journalists in Nairobi.

Ethiopian authorities have denied these allegations. ‘'These claims are unfounded. We have been involved in the peace process for Somalia for a long time. It is not logical to try and find peace for Somalia, then cause war again. There is no way we can be involved in the skirmishes,'' AbdulAziz Ahmed, Ethiopia's special envoy to the Somali peace process, told IPS June 2.

The peace process, which opened in Kenya in 2002, was an initiative of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional body comprising Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and Uganda. Seeking to end Somalia's 14-year war, IGAD has been instrumental in the creation of the country's new government, as well as pushing for a speedy relocation of the new administration back to Somalia.

Nevertheless, the Somali government maintains that the relocation process in ongoing, and shall be implemented as was decided by a majority of the country's 275 parliamentarians who recently voted for it to have operational sites in Baidoa and Jowhar and a liaison office in Mogadishu. ‘'The office of the president will be relocated to Somalia as soon as possible,'' Baribari said. He did not elaborate.

Critics contend that the hostility that has accompanied talks on relocation may delay the movement of the transitional government to Somalia.

In March, talks on a relocation plan turned physical when Somali politicians meeting in Nairobi exchanged blows and threw chairs at each other, resulting into serious injuries.

Somalia's government has been talking with the African Union (AU), a grouping of over 50 countries, about deployment of peacekeeping troops to protect it upon relocation.

But concerns have been raised about the security situation in Somalia. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), even though the AU has agreed to deploy about 1,700 troops to Somalia, it would only do so if security was guaranteed. (END/2005).