SOMALIA: Government pledges to secure capital in 30 days

NAIROBI, 12 March 2007 (IRIN) - Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has said it would secure Mogadishu, the capital, in 30 days. However, the announcement came as violence and displacement continued unabated in the city.

"Last night [Sunday] at around 7pm [4pm GMT], gunmen attacked the Ethiopian forces' compound in the former ministry of defence headquarters," a local resident, who requested anonymity, said. "Two people were killed and six others injured in the ensuing exchange of heavy weapons fire."

"The population has suffered enough," Salad Ali Jeele, Deputy Defence Minister, said on Monday, adding that newly trained security forces would start work in the city soon. "We will secure the city in 30 days."

Mogadishu residents were now nervous and concerned after the government's announcement on Sunday, the resident said. "There is fear that it will lead to more violence and more displacement if not properly handled," he added.

A civil society source said Mogadishu could be secured "only after a genuine and effective reconciliation". He said many clans were suspicious of the government's plan and needed to be reassured "before such a plan can be successfully and peacefully implemented".

He warned that those fighting the government and their Ethiopian allies "would most likely fight back and the ultimate losers would be the civilian population", who have borne the brunt of the exchanges between the two.

Many residents have been leaving the city to escape the daily exchange of mortars and artillery between the government forces and insurgents. Rough estimates put the numbers of people displaced from Mogadishu since January at 18,000-30,000.

Any escalation of violence at this time would be a major setback for future reconciliation, the source said.

However, Jeele said the government was determined to go ahead with the plan. "I cannot give a timetable as to when it will start, but it will be done within those 30 days," he added.

This is not the first time the government has said it would disarm Mogadishu residents. On 1 January, interim Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Gedi gave Somali clans three days to hand over their arsenal. Nothing came of that and the government quietly dropped the plan.

Another source told IRIN: "The government is in a dilemma. If it does nothing it will be seen as weak and if it uses force and fails it loses whatever credibility it had. They have to tread carefully and find the right balance."

Military

SOMALIA: Government pledges to secure capital in 30 days