Somalia: Under Islamic Law, Kismayo Calm And Safe

	Email This Page Print This Page Comment on this article Visit The Publisher's Site

Garowe Online (Garowe)

ANALYSIS
26 August 2008
Posted to the web 27 August 2008

Yusuf Ali
Kismayo

After years of militia violence, roadblocks and assassinations, the southern Somali port city of Kismayo is reportedly calm under the rule of a coalition of local clans and Islamist guerrillas.

For the past two days, fighters who seized the strategic port town have been invited to feasts by the region's traditional elders.

'Aqil Abdullahi Bile, a Kismayo-based clan chief, tells Radio Garowe that traditional elders are holding clan conferences as the first phase and are planning to hold an "all-clan gathering" soon.

"The second phase of the peace process is to bring together all clans," the 'Aqil told me during a telephone interview Tuesday.

He pointedly stated that the traditional elders' aim is to avoid marginalizing any of the local clans, especially the clan whose warlord-turned-parliamentarian, Col. Barre Hirale, was violently chased out of Kismayo after two days of fighting that claimed upwards of 50 lives.

The third phase of the peace process would involve a conference between Kismayo's traditional elders - who represent the region's various clan groups - and Islamist guerrillas who spearheaded the war to oust Col. Hirale and his militia.

As part of the first phase, representatives from the Harti clan, including elders, religious persons and businessmen, held a private meeting and reached a three-point agreement, according to 'Aqil Abdullahi.

"We agreed that Islamic [Shariah] Law is our constitution," the 'Aqil said. The other two points, he added, include an agreement that all men between the ages of 15 and 50 will be "recruited as fighters" and to invite Islamist fighters to feasts as a "show of appreciation."

He described the security situation in Kismayo as "100 percent safe," adding that local businesses remained open until midnight.

Plane shooting

On Tuesday, Islamist fighters standing guard at Kismayo's airport shot at a small plane as it attempted to land.

The airplane was "transporting a khat shipment," according to airport sources, referring to a narcotic plant used widely across Somalia.

One Islamist fighter who spoke with Radio Garowe on the condition of anonymity said the plane shooting "happened by accident."

"Our men were not informed of an airplane that was supposed to land," he said, adding: "When the plane attempted to land, they fired [bullets] but there was no damage and the plane flew away."

Understandably, the security situation in Kismayo is tense, with Col. Hirale's militia commander vowing to retake the town by military force during comments to the press.

Unconfirmed reports from Gedo region, where Hirale fled to safety, say the warlord was wounded in the leg as he fled Kismayo.

In Bardhere, an agricultural town in Gedo, Hirale's militias are reorganizing while fighters loyal to al Shabaab are reportedly "in the outskirts of the town," according to locals.

On Tuesday, business activity was minimal in Bardhere as buyers and sellers remained anxious about new security developments and feared an armed clash between al Shabaab and Hirale's militias.

Somalia's interim government, which enjoys diplomatic backing from the West and military support from Ethiopia, has failed to restore order in the national capital Mogadishu.

Critics accuse the government of being dominated by warlords, who are widely despised across Somalia.

The Islamists, by contrast, offer an alternative form of government and enjoy a reputation for maintaining a strong standard of security in every town they control.

Read comments. Write your own.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

Share this on: Facebook Digg Del.icio.us StumbleUpon Muti

Copyright © 2008 Garowe Online. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed Sign up for FREE daily 'top headlines' by email >>

Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | My Account

Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement.