Islamic militias and a self-styled "anti-terrorism" alliance of
warlords on Sunday signed a formal truce deal, aimed at ending
eight days of fighting that has claimed more than 140 lives in the
Somali capital of Mogadishu.
Sporadic gunfire that rang across northern Mogadishu for most of
Sunday ended after the deal, signed by Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed,
chairman of the radical Islamic Court Union militias, and Nuur
Daqle, a senior commander of the Alliance for the Restoration of
Peace and Counter terrorism.
The two sides agreed to stop the bloody skirmishes after clan
elders, who have been acting as mediator, warned that they would
unleash their own combatants on whichever side was violating the
cease-fire.
However, the two men refused to meet face-to-face to sign the
agreement, underlying the degree of animosity between the warring
sides.
"We are not only accepting the cease-fire today but we were
always ready for it," said Hussein Gutale Ragheh, a spokesman for
the alliance.
"We really hope this day will be the day that marks the start of
a process for a better future ... mutual respect and peace in their
city," said former President Ali Mahdi, who played a key role in
efforts to ensure the warring sides agree to stop fighting.
Under the cease-fire deal, clan leaders will help the foes
disengage combatants in the Sii-Sii neighborhood, the center of the
clashes.
The fighting has escalated steadily since May 7, when Islamic
extremists and US-backed warlords took up strategic positions in
Mogadishu.
At least 142 people have been killed and more than 280 people
wounded in the past few days. Most of the dead are civilians caught
in the crossfire.
Many Somalis accuse the United States of backing the alliance of
warlords and Washington has long viewed Somalia, without an
effective central government since 1991, as a terrorist haven.
The United States has not confirmed or denied backing the
warlords but says it would "work with responsible individuals in
fighting terror."
Neither side gained an upper hand in the latest bout of
fighting. The alliance accuses the Islamists of having links to
al-Qaida, while the Islamic group says the warlords are puppets of
the United States.
Fighting in Somalia traditionally has fallen largely along clan
lines and has been economically motivated. But the current battle
appears to be ideological, over whether the eastern African country
should be governed by Islamic law.
The latest clashes are the second round of Mogadishu's most
serious fighting in a decade.
In March, over 100 people died in Mogadishu's worst battles in
years between militias linked to the Islamic Court Union, which has
recently restored order to some parts of Mogadishu by providing
justice under Sharia, Islamic law, and those tied to the
anti-terrorism coalition, comprising most of the capital's powerful
warlords.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2006)
