Somali government near collapse
Associated Press
July 27, 2006
An Islamic Courts Militia stands on Personnel Armoured Vehicle guarding the Villa Somalia, Thrusday, July 27, 2006. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
BAIDOA, Somalia (AP) - Somalia's virtually powerless government was unraveling Thursday as a fifth of its Cabinet resigned in disgust and the administration's Islamic rivals took over the presidential palace in the capital of Mogadishu.
Eighteen key ministers in the 102-member Cabinet said their government has failed to bring peace to this chaotic African nation as it emerges from 15 years of anarchy. The leadership has no power outside its base in Baidoa, 155 miles from the capital.
“We have seen that the government cannot carry out national reconciliation and development,” according to a letter of resignation issued by the lawmakers, who include the ministers for domestic cooperation and for planning and international relations.
A motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Mohammed Ali Gedi had already been issued and will be debated in Parliament on Saturday, the lawmakers said. Government spokesman Abdirahman Mohamed Dinari said Gedi has not decided whether to accept the resignations.
The lawmakers also said they were opposed to troops from neighboring Ethiopia who were sent here to protect the government from the Supreme Islamic Courts Council's militia, which has seized control of the capital and much of southern Somalia.
The Islamic militants' increasing power has prompted grave concerns in the United States, which accuses the group of harboring al Qaeda leaders responsible for deadly 1998 bombings at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The Islamic group's imposition of strict religious courts also has raised fears of an emerging Taliban-style regime.
On Thursday, the militia said it was setting up a religious court inside the vast complex in Mogadishu that once served as the country's presidential palace — a highly symbolic move that further marginalized the official administration.
"This is the place where Somalia will be ruled from, and we appreciate your cooperation with the courts," said Abdirahman Janaqaw, a senior member of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council.
The complex, known as Villa Somalia, sits on high ground with access to the harbor and the airport. The last Somali leader to live there was dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, who was ousted in 1991. The country soon descended into armed camps ruled by violence and clan law, and members of a Mogadishu clan loyal to the Aidid family controlled the compound for the past 15 years.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since warlords toppled Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other, carving much of the country into armed camps ruled by violence and clan law.
The government was established nearly two years ago with the support of the United Nations, but it has been wracked by infighting. The leadership also includes some of the widely despised warlords linked to the violence of the past.
Thursday's resignations were “a very serious blow to the government led by the prime minister,” said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somalia Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, a hub for U.S.-based Somalis.
The relationship between the Islamic militia and the official government has been deteriorating steadily in recent weeks, despite plans for peace talks. Last week, the militia got within striking distance of Baidoa, the only town controlled by the government. Witnesses reported seeing troops from Ethiopia cross the border to protect the fragile administration.
On Wednesday, a cargo plane the government alleged was loaded with weapons sent by Eritrea landed in the capital and was swiftly unloaded by Islamic militiamen.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bloody border war from 1998-2000, and have since backed rebel groups to destabilize each other. Somalia could become a new front in their conflict.
In a statement issued by Eritrea's minister of information, the government called on Ethiopia to withdraw all of its troops from Somalia.
“It further calls to let the brotherly people of Somalia be masters of their own destiny, by providing them a chance to build a harmonious and stable nation,” Eritrea said.
Ethiopia also lashed out at its rival, with the country's foreign ministry spokesman saying Eritrea was arming the militants while “disseminating anti-Ethiopian sentiments.”
18 Ministers resign
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Eighteen Somali ministers and other top officials quit the interim government on Thursday and lawmakers moved to oust the prime minister, in moves intended to draw rival Islamists into peace talks and avert war.
Government sources said the maneuvers could open the way for Islamists to take ministerial posts.
Power-sharing is seen as the best way to stop a descent into war in the Horn of Africa nation.
The Islamists took Mogadishu in June and control a swathe of the south, threatening the authority of a government set up in 2004. It was the 14th attempt to restore central rule since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
In a consolidation of their power in Mogadishu, Islamist militia on Thursday took over one of the city's most famous buildings, a Barre-era presidential palace called Villa Somalia. It had been held by gunmen loyal to a defeated warlord.
The Islamists inaugurated a new sharia tribunal, the "Presidential Palace Islamic Court," at the bullet-scarred, hilltop mansion. Former fighters for the warlord joined Islamist ranks, and an arsenal of weapons was handed over.
Lawmakers said a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi had been presented to the parliamentary speaker and would be debated on Saturday in Baidoa, seat of the Western-backed interim authorities.
The list of high-level resignations included seven ministers, seven assistant ministers and four state ministers.
"We have decided to vacate all the seats for the Khartoum talks," outgoing state minister of parliament and government relations Abdirahman Haji Adan told Reuters.
The two sides held one round of talks in the Sudanese capital last month before negotiations broke down. A new round is slated for early next month.
Ahmed Abdirahman Mohamed, outgoing Assistant Minister for Higher Education, said the government had compromised itself by becoming too close to Ethiopia, which is believed to have sent troops into Somalia to curb the Islamist expansion.
"(The government) was taking orders from Addis Ababa. Somalis now have an opportunity to reconstitute their government," he told Reuters from Baidoa.
Regional diplomats believe offering the prime ministership and some other ministerial posts to the Islamists could be the only way to save a peace deal reached in 2004 in neighboring Kenya.
But there is no guarantee the Islamists will accept such an overture. Nor is it clear how long it might take to thrash out a deal.
"The (no confidence) motion is supported and even funded by Islamists who want to take the position once talks with the government commence in Khartoum," a government source said.
The government's interim charter says that once a vote of no confidence is passed against a prime minister, the president is required to appoint a new one within 30 days.
The government boycotted the second round of peace talks with Islamists in Khartoum this month in protest at alleged violations of a pact against military expansion.
On the other side, the Islamists' leader, hardline cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has ruled out a meeting unless Ethiopia stops its "invasion" of Somalia.
"We don't care who is removed and who remains in the government. Our only worry is Ethiopia and until they get out, we will not rest," Aweys told Reuters on Thursday.
Ethiopia denies sending troops and on Thursday accused neighbor and foe Eritrea of supplying arms to the Islamists, including in a plane that landed in Mogadishu on Wednesday.
"Eritrea's action ... could escalate into violence in the region," said Information Ministry spokesman Zemedhun Tekle.
(Additional reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse in Addis Ababa)
Eritrea-chartered arms cargo plane lands in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Russian-built cargo plane believed to be loaded with weapons landed in Somalia's capital Wednesday, setting off a fresh round of allegations that the country has become a proxy battleground for its neighbors Eritrea and Ethiopia, according to a July 26 report by Mohammed Sheikh Nor of the Associated Press.
The United States and other Western powers have cautioned outsiders against meddling in Somalia, which has no single ruling authority and can be manipulated by anyone with money and guns. But there's little sign the warning has been heeded.
Somalia's virtually powerless government charged on Wednesday that the Ilyushin-76, only the second flight to land at Mogadishu International Airport in a decade, was packed with land mines, bombs and guns. It said the shipment had come from Eritrea, which supports the Islamic militia that has seized the capital along with most of southern Somalia.
Just hours later, a U.N. envoy confirmed that troops from Ethiopia, Eritrea's foe, were in Somalia to protect the defenseless government from the advancing Islamic forces.
Somali government leaders and Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry previously have denied Ethiopian soldiers were in the county. But many witnesses have confirmed their presence.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998-2000, and have since backed rebel groups to destabilize each other. Somalia could become a new front in their conflict.
"Ethiopia and Eritrea are competing throughout the region, opening up new fronts in their Cold War whenever the opportunity arises," said John Prendergast, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group, which monitors conflict zones.
The United States secretly backed nonreligious militias that were driven out of Mogadishu by the Islamists, and now supports the government.
Ethiopia and Eritrea both officially deny a proxy conflict, despite witness accounts and reports by the United Nations describing Somalia's plight.
A U.N. committee monitoring the arms embargo on Somalia said Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen were backing different factions fighting inside the country. Another country not named in the report was widely believed to be the United States.
Wednesday, an AP reporter saw the Ilyushin-76 land, but was ordered to leave by Islamic militiamen. The plane's tail carried a Kazakhstan flag; the former Soviet republic often allows its planes to be chartered.
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July 27, 2006
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| An Islamic Courts Militia stands on Personnel Armoured Vehicle guarding the Villa Somalia, Thrusday, July 27, 2006. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor) |
Eighteen key ministers in the 102-member Cabinet said their government has failed to bring peace to this chaotic African nation as it emerges from 15 years of anarchy. The leadership has no power outside its base in Baidoa, 155 miles from the capital.
“We have seen that the government cannot carry out national reconciliation and development,” according to a letter of resignation issued by the lawmakers, who include the ministers for domestic cooperation and for planning and international relations.
A motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Mohammed Ali Gedi had already been issued and will be debated in Parliament on Saturday, the lawmakers said. Government spokesman Abdirahman Mohamed Dinari said Gedi has not decided whether to accept the resignations.
The lawmakers also said they were opposed to troops from neighboring Ethiopia who were sent here to protect the government from the Supreme Islamic Courts Council's militia, which has seized control of the capital and much of southern Somalia.
The Islamic militants' increasing power has prompted grave concerns in the United States, which accuses the group of harboring al Qaeda leaders responsible for deadly 1998 bombings at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The Islamic group's imposition of strict religious courts also has raised fears of an emerging Taliban-style regime.
On Thursday, the militia said it was setting up a religious court inside the vast complex in Mogadishu that once served as the country's presidential palace — a highly symbolic move that further marginalized the official administration.
"This is the place where Somalia will be ruled from, and we appreciate your cooperation with the courts," said Abdirahman Janaqaw, a senior member of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council.
The complex, known as Villa Somalia, sits on high ground with access to the harbor and the airport. The last Somali leader to live there was dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, who was ousted in 1991. The country soon descended into armed camps ruled by violence and clan law, and members of a Mogadishu clan loyal to the Aidid family controlled the compound for the past 15 years.
The government was established nearly two years ago with the support of the United Nations, but it has been wracked by infighting. The leadership also includes some of the widely despised warlords linked to the violence of the past.
Thursday's resignations were “a very serious blow to the government led by the prime minister,” said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somalia Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, a hub for U.S.-based Somalis.
The relationship between the Islamic militia and the official government has been deteriorating steadily in recent weeks, despite plans for peace talks. Last week, the militia got within striking distance of Baidoa, the only town controlled by the government. Witnesses reported seeing troops from Ethiopia cross the border to protect the fragile administration.
On Wednesday, a cargo plane the government alleged was loaded with weapons sent by Eritrea landed in the capital and was swiftly unloaded by Islamic militiamen.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bloody border war from 1998-2000, and have since backed rebel groups to destabilize each other. Somalia could become a new front in their conflict.
In a statement issued by Eritrea's minister of information, the government called on Ethiopia to withdraw all of its troops from Somalia.
“It further calls to let the brotherly people of Somalia be masters of their own destiny, by providing them a chance to build a harmonious and stable nation,” Eritrea said.
Ethiopia also lashed out at its rival, with the country's foreign ministry spokesman saying Eritrea was arming the militants while “disseminating anti-Ethiopian sentiments.”
18 Ministers resign
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Eighteen Somali ministers and other top officials quit the interim government on Thursday and lawmakers moved to oust the prime minister, in moves intended to draw rival Islamists into peace talks and avert war.
Government sources said the maneuvers could open the way for Islamists to take ministerial posts.
Power-sharing is seen as the best way to stop a descent into war in the Horn of Africa nation.
The Islamists took Mogadishu in June and control a swathe of the south, threatening the authority of a government set up in 2004. It was the 14th attempt to restore central rule since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
In a consolidation of their power in Mogadishu, Islamist militia on Thursday took over one of the city's most famous buildings, a Barre-era presidential palace called Villa Somalia. It had been held by gunmen loyal to a defeated warlord.
The Islamists inaugurated a new sharia tribunal, the "Presidential Palace Islamic Court," at the bullet-scarred, hilltop mansion. Former fighters for the warlord joined Islamist ranks, and an arsenal of weapons was handed over.
Lawmakers said a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi had been presented to the parliamentary speaker and would be debated on Saturday in Baidoa, seat of the Western-backed interim authorities.
The list of high-level resignations included seven ministers, seven assistant ministers and four state ministers.
"We have decided to vacate all the seats for the Khartoum talks," outgoing state minister of parliament and government relations Abdirahman Haji Adan told Reuters.
The two sides held one round of talks in the Sudanese capital last month before negotiations broke down. A new round is slated for early next month.
Ahmed Abdirahman Mohamed, outgoing Assistant Minister for Higher Education, said the government had compromised itself by becoming too close to Ethiopia, which is believed to have sent troops into Somalia to curb the Islamist expansion. "(The government) was taking orders from Addis Ababa. Somalis now have an opportunity to reconstitute their government," he told Reuters from Baidoa.
Regional diplomats believe offering the prime ministership and some other ministerial posts to the Islamists could be the only way to save a peace deal reached in 2004 in neighboring Kenya.
But there is no guarantee the Islamists will accept such an overture. Nor is it clear how long it might take to thrash out a deal.
"The (no confidence) motion is supported and even funded by Islamists who want to take the position once talks with the government commence in Khartoum," a government source said.
The government's interim charter says that once a vote of no confidence is passed against a prime minister, the president is required to appoint a new one within 30 days.
The government boycotted the second round of peace talks with Islamists in Khartoum this month in protest at alleged violations of a pact against military expansion.
On the other side, the Islamists' leader, hardline cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has ruled out a meeting unless Ethiopia stops its "invasion" of Somalia.
"We don't care who is removed and who remains in the government. Our only worry is Ethiopia and until they get out, we will not rest," Aweys told Reuters on Thursday.
Ethiopia denies sending troops and on Thursday accused neighbor and foe Eritrea of supplying arms to the Islamists, including in a plane that landed in Mogadishu on Wednesday.
"Eritrea's action ... could escalate into violence in the region," said Information Ministry spokesman Zemedhun Tekle.
(Additional reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse in Addis Ababa)
Eritrea-chartered arms cargo plane lands in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Russian-built cargo plane believed to be loaded with weapons landed in Somalia's capital Wednesday, setting off a fresh round of allegations that the country has become a proxy battleground for its neighbors Eritrea and Ethiopia, according to a July 26 report by Mohammed Sheikh Nor of the Associated Press.
The United States and other Western powers have cautioned outsiders against meddling in Somalia, which has no single ruling authority and can be manipulated by anyone with money and guns. But there's little sign the warning has been heeded.
Somalia's virtually powerless government charged on Wednesday that the Ilyushin-76, only the second flight to land at Mogadishu International Airport in a decade, was packed with land mines, bombs and guns. It said the shipment had come from Eritrea, which supports the Islamic militia that has seized the capital along with most of southern Somalia.
Just hours later, a U.N. envoy confirmed that troops from Ethiopia, Eritrea's foe, were in Somalia to protect the defenseless government from the advancing Islamic forces.
Somali government leaders and Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry previously have denied Ethiopian soldiers were in the county. But many witnesses have confirmed their presence.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998-2000, and have since backed rebel groups to destabilize each other. Somalia could become a new front in their conflict.
"Ethiopia and Eritrea are competing throughout the region, opening up new fronts in their Cold War whenever the opportunity arises," said John Prendergast, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group, which monitors conflict zones.
The United States secretly backed nonreligious militias that were driven out of Mogadishu by the Islamists, and now supports the government.
Ethiopia and Eritrea both officially deny a proxy conflict, despite witness accounts and reports by the United Nations describing Somalia's plight.
A U.N. committee monitoring the arms embargo on Somalia said Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen were backing different factions fighting inside the country. Another country not named in the report was widely believed to be the United States.
Wednesday, an AP reporter saw the Ilyushin-76 land, but was ordered to leave by Islamic militiamen. The plane's tail carried a Kazakhstan flag; the former Soviet republic often allows its planes to be chartered.
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