April 27, 2007

Mogadishu Still Roiled By Insurgents

The fight for Mogadishu goes on, as Islamists and warlords fight the recognized government of Somalia for control of the capital. Just weeks after Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia and put the Islamists to flight, they still face heavy fighting, delaying them from transferring control to the Somali government and a peacekeeping force:

The fighting in Somalia's ruined capital worsened still further yesterday as Ethiopian troops launched a new offensive against areas held by insurgents.

The number of refugees may now have reached 400,000 - more than one third of Mogadishu's entire population. But Somalia's internationally recognised government hailed a victory last night and claimed to be in full control of the city.

"We have won the fighting against the insurgents," said Ali Mohammed Gedi, the prime minister. "The worst of the fighting in the city is now over."

He added: "We have captured the stronghold of the terrorists. We will capture any terrorists who have escaped."

The Telegraph reports that heavy artillery fire can still be heard in the city. The new fighting has killed over 350 people. Even more worrisome are reports that over 400,000 citizens of Mogadishu may now be refugees, or almost a third of its inhabitants. That will create a heavy load for humanitarian relief, even if the end of fighting arrives soon.

The Ethiopians are still waiting for African Union troops to replace them. The AU still has not sent the bulk of the troops it pledged. Last month it sent less than 100 advisors, hardly enough to hold a neighborhood in the war-torn capital. The Ethiopians would like to leave, but they do not want to leave a power vacuum.

Will the AU step up, or will Somalia have to rely on its one neighbor for its protection?

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/cq082307.cgi/9805

Comments (7)

Posted by stackja1945 [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 27, 2007 6:02 AM

Will the AU step up?
AU means Always Unreliable does it not?

Posted by PapaBear [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 27, 2007 6:47 AM

It's evident that the AU wants little to do with getting into a conflict where it can be depicted as anti-islamic

Posted by TomB [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 27, 2007 7:05 AM

I like the "We have won the fighting against the insurgents" part most.

Posted by Mwalimu Daudi [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 27, 2007 7:22 AM

US TROOPS OUT OF SOMALIA!!

NO BLOOD FOR SOMALIAN OIL!!

IMPEACH BUSH FOR ILLEGAL WAR IN MOGADISHU!!

Ooops! Sorry - we already did the cut-and-run give-the-"insurgents"-what-they-desire thingy there. My bad.

Posted by patrick neid [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 27, 2007 7:40 AM

as i said in january--they would be back loping off heads soon enough. there is no hope for somalia. things were bad enough when the wanton murder etc was tribe/clan based but throw in radical islam and all hope is lost. well, i suppose there is a glimmer--radical islam might miraculously disappear if the moderates(are there really any?) expose the radicals in there mist and get on with a reformation.

i would not count on it. i think all of islam is secretly being seduced by the radical message. "we will rule the world very soon". my hat goes off to the ethiopians.

as for the african union--it's hard to even type that thought with a straight face.

Posted by TomB [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 27, 2007 8:27 AM

The wider problem is that in today’s word there is a large group of fanatic Muslims in desperate need for a country. They didn’t have enough religious freedoms in Pakistan, so they tried (and lost) Afghanistan, now they try Somalia.
What they really want is to get to their Paradise, either by strict adherence to Islam, or by dying for it. If we chase them from one place, they inevitably show in some other. They are not afraid to die (unless from a hand of a woman), so the paradigm of a war is different: they will not compromise (except for tactical reasons), our only choices are to allow for a country like the Taliban era Afghanistan, or to kill them in a fight, which they gladly accept.
Sorry for sharing dark thoughts.

Posted by conservative democrat [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 27, 2007 9:59 PM

Unless we go back to the draft we don't have the troop strength to be the worlds policemen. Oh by the way, John Boehner, House Minority Leader, voted to withdraw from Somalia in 1993, and voted to CUT OFF FUNDS FOR THE FIGHT THERE.That damn republican SURRENDER MONKEY. Hat tip to Keith Olbermann on Countdown tonite. Would that make Boehner a "cut and runner"? A Copperhead Republican? Oh thats right, It was against a democrat president. That makes it all different. In Websters Dictionary, under hyprocrite, there should be a picture of the always tanned John Boehner.