Somalia

Rebel forces renew assault on government

Article published on the 2009-02-26 Latest update 2009-02-26 11:38 TU

Residents flee the fighting in Mogadishu
(Photo: Reuters)

The rebel Islamist force, Shebab, have taken the northwestern Somali town of Hodur, stepping up attacks since the recent election of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and calling for a withdrawal of all African Union peacekeepers.

At least 17 people, mostly combatants, were killed in the fighting, which coincided with a second day of attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, where four more people died.

The Shebab, a former military youth wing of an Islamist movement ousted by Ethiopia-backed Somali forces two years ago, carried out relentless attacks against the Ethiopian forces who withdrew from Somalia last month.

They have also fought rival Somali factions and conquered territory, reducing government control to parts of the capital. Fighting resumed in the capital the day after Ahmed's 31 January election.

Peace will remain a distant prospect unless the President reaches out to the Islamists, says Abdi Ismail Samatar of the Unversity of Minnesota.

“As long as the Shebab is demonised by the international community, and as long as the Somali government is waffling on the matter, then I don’t see an end to this violence, unfortunately”, Samatar told RFI.

President Ahmed has also said that there is no need for AU, Samatar says. This presents an opportunity for peace, though international help will be needed.

“The problem is not a cultural problem, it’s a political problem, and they [the international community] refuse to approach it that way."