The Ethiopian forces that rolled into Somalia to defend the feeble Transitional Federal Government against the powerful Islamic Courts two years ago now began to go back home under the UN-sponsored deal at first reached in Djibouti last June between the secular government and Alliance for re-liberation of Somalia as there is no love lost between the divided Islamists.
Hundreds of heavily armed Ethiopian soldiers vacated their military bases in Mogadishu which gave much pleasure to thousands of people who spent several months in make shift houses outside the capital during the war but yet some fear that the current struggle for power between the Islamist hardliners known as ‘Al-Shabab’ and the ARS might cause another bloodshed.
Few hundreds of Somalis in happy mood gathered around vacant military bases in the neighborhoods singing and dancing but no one knows what is next; to slip back into fresh violence over country’s power.
There is a strong distrust and rivalry between these rebel Islamists; ARS which is now involving in efforts aimed to build a unity government believes that the radical Al-Qaeda linked Muhajideens of Al-Shabab are on the wrong path and conducting anti-peace activities which Al-Shabab leaders who had refused to join process deem that ARS are off the Jihad road and dealt with Allah’s enemy and vowed to continue the war even after the Ethiopian departure.
Already Al-Shabab kicked off new fronts with Islamic Sufi groups known as ‘Ahlu-Suna Wal-Jamea’ and ARS supporters in some parts of the country. The fighting with Sufis broke out when Al-Shabab rebel fighters began to destroy graves of much respected Sheikhs in the areas under their control.
“The war with the Ethiopian troops seem to be finished but what I am worrying about is the possibility of new warfare to go off because there is no good gesture here in Mogadishu according to the variety among the Islamists,” said a local journalist in anonymity of condition. “The effective and working intelligence is that there is no reason to fight anymore but should hold peace by the time the Ethiopians are leaving,”
The Ethiopia’s poll out marked the end of two years long detested military presence in the war-wrecked capital of Mogadishu but will this stop the ongoing political wrangling for power and clan discrepancy that has long been running in Somalia since the fall of former president Siad Barre in 1991.
Wednesday 14 January 2009
Sunday 11 January 2009
Somali rival Islamists struggle for power
Whenever it is assumed that Somalia is now on the right track to reach total consensus to end the political stand off there might be another peace killers before millions of already war-suffered Somalis waiting for the restoration of the country’s dignity and sovereignty.
The current outbreak of the much-avoided fighting between the Islamic fighters seem to be a new start of lingering Somalia’s quandary and might increase the human catastrophic with no access to reach the suffering people caught in the cross fire.
According to the sources on the ground, this is all about power struggling between supporters of the Islamic Union specially Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) and Young Islamic Mujahideens known as ‘Shabab’ who previously associated with the ICU during the 6 month rule in southern and central Somalia in 2006.
The political split came when the moderate Islamic leader Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed accepted to sit with the UN recognized Transitional Federal Government and discuss over the matters prevailing in the war torn horn of African nation. Earlier, the Islamists believed TFG as traitors who led the country into Ethiopian occupation but things changed when the international community induced Sheik Ahmed and his group to come to the negotiation table to stop the bloodshed.
But the radical group of the Young Mujahideen ‘Shabab’ saw the talks in Djibouti was a conspiracy aimed to divide the Mujahideens and end the insurgency and in contrary with that, the Al-Qaeda linked Jihadists began expanding their power through the country capturing more key towns which angered the ICU as opposite to the truce reached in Djibouti.
Each group of the Islamists in Somalia is now getting prepared for the post Ethiopian departure to show its real power controlling the capital. To achieve that the rival Islamists continue to challenge in Balad town, 30km north of Mogadishu.
In Mogadishu, the joint operations by the Islamists against the Ethiopian presence have been getting in reduction as distrust is growing more among the leaders.
In other terms, the Ethiopian backed Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic Courts Union who have been hostile to each other now work together in same offices with their security personals are mixing under the protection of the Ethiopian forces. Such extent of trust between ICU and TFG is casting more suspicion into the minds of the Shabab fighters.
The Islamic Courts Union led by Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed now continue to grab more public support inside the country to face against the intensifying military power of Shabab group who he sees it as peace barriers.
After the Ethiopian departure, the ICU want to share power with the TFG and deal with the international community, as Shabab group’s goal to continue the Jihad and impose the Islamic rule through out the country.
ARS official using the local media strongly condemned the Shabab Islamists as group who do not want peace and stability in the country and keeping the Ethiopian forces to remain in Somalia. “These Shabab men are real trouble makers, initially we welcomed their leaders in our regions as they were Muslim brothers and know began opposing our policy and killing our people, it is unacceptable that these so-called Shabab fighters create destabilizations in our provinces,” Sheik Abdirahman Janaqow, the general secretary of ARS said.
Political Analysts say the clash among the Islamists was something that long been waited by Ethiopian government and now it believes the war was diverted from their side. The forces will leave Somalia when the Islamic infighting intensifies and reaches to its worst.
The current outbreak of the much-avoided fighting between the Islamic fighters seem to be a new start of lingering Somalia’s quandary and might increase the human catastrophic with no access to reach the suffering people caught in the cross fire.
According to the sources on the ground, this is all about power struggling between supporters of the Islamic Union specially Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) and Young Islamic Mujahideens known as ‘Shabab’ who previously associated with the ICU during the 6 month rule in southern and central Somalia in 2006.
The political split came when the moderate Islamic leader Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed accepted to sit with the UN recognized Transitional Federal Government and discuss over the matters prevailing in the war torn horn of African nation. Earlier, the Islamists believed TFG as traitors who led the country into Ethiopian occupation but things changed when the international community induced Sheik Ahmed and his group to come to the negotiation table to stop the bloodshed.
But the radical group of the Young Mujahideen ‘Shabab’ saw the talks in Djibouti was a conspiracy aimed to divide the Mujahideens and end the insurgency and in contrary with that, the Al-Qaeda linked Jihadists began expanding their power through the country capturing more key towns which angered the ICU as opposite to the truce reached in Djibouti.
Each group of the Islamists in Somalia is now getting prepared for the post Ethiopian departure to show its real power controlling the capital. To achieve that the rival Islamists continue to challenge in Balad town, 30km north of Mogadishu.
In Mogadishu, the joint operations by the Islamists against the Ethiopian presence have been getting in reduction as distrust is growing more among the leaders.
In other terms, the Ethiopian backed Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic Courts Union who have been hostile to each other now work together in same offices with their security personals are mixing under the protection of the Ethiopian forces. Such extent of trust between ICU and TFG is casting more suspicion into the minds of the Shabab fighters.
The Islamic Courts Union led by Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed now continue to grab more public support inside the country to face against the intensifying military power of Shabab group who he sees it as peace barriers.
After the Ethiopian departure, the ICU want to share power with the TFG and deal with the international community, as Shabab group’s goal to continue the Jihad and impose the Islamic rule through out the country.
ARS official using the local media strongly condemned the Shabab Islamists as group who do not want peace and stability in the country and keeping the Ethiopian forces to remain in Somalia. “These Shabab men are real trouble makers, initially we welcomed their leaders in our regions as they were Muslim brothers and know began opposing our policy and killing our people, it is unacceptable that these so-called Shabab fighters create destabilizations in our provinces,” Sheik Abdirahman Janaqow, the general secretary of ARS said.
Political Analysts say the clash among the Islamists was something that long been waited by Ethiopian government and now it believes the war was diverted from their side. The forces will leave Somalia when the Islamic infighting intensifies and reaches to its worst.
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