Mogadishu again slips towards chaos, no sign of peacekeepers

By Ulrike Koltermann Feb 20, 2007, 16:38 GMT

Mogadishu/Nairobi - Almost two months since the opening salvoes of the war which saw Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers oust the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from power, the streets of the Somali capital Mogadishu are still far from safe.

Violence erupts almost daily in the city. The perpetrators are mostly remnants of the Islamist militias or gunmen loyal to trivial warlords, the targets are mostly Ethiopian or Somali soldiers, the victims are mostly civilians caught in the crossfire.

A dedicated anti-terror unit has been newly established to quell the unrest, but has so far yet to make any impact.

Many Mogadishu residents now wonder if they were not better off under the UIC, who despite harsh imposition of Islamic rule managed to preside over six months of relative calm and stability in the chaotic city.

'I rejoiced when the government troops came and drove out the Islamists,' said 25-year-old student Mohamed Salad. 'But now I am disappointed. Since the government took over power in Mogadishu the situation has only gotten worse. They can do nothing but fire mortars.'

Monday saw the heaviest fighting to have hit the Somali capital since the arrival of the Ethiopian-backed government troops, with at least 12 people killed in mortar assaults by both sides.

Ethiopia is keen to bring its troops home sooner rather than later, but the planned deployment of an African peacekeeping force that would allow this has been beset by delays.

Few governments seem willing to send troops to a country that has been without a functioning central government for some 16 years. Uganda, Burundi, Nigeria and Ghana have pledged to provide troops for the force, but even such pledges only amount to around half of the 8,000 troops needed.

Even a month ago the deployment of peacekeepers was seen as the highest of priorities. Now the urgency is even greater, but it could still be a number of weeks before troops are on the ground.

Political observers agree that without the presence of the Ethiopian troops, the Somali interim government would have an even greater task on their hands.

Most Mogadishu citizens belong to the Hawiye clan, which complains of inadequate representation in the 2004-formed interim government. The administration has been further discredited in the eyes of many Somalis by enlisting the help of old foe Ethiopia to topple the UIC.

The interim government consists of a cabinet largely made up of former military chiefs, and a parliament in which over half of the lawmakers are illiterate: hardly an auspicious platform for a government which seeks to restore order to one of the most lawless nations on the planet.

The international community has in recent weeks repeatedly called for a 'national dialogue' to be initiated, and for some degree of inclusion for the Islamists in the government. Millions of dollars in aid money to fund peacekeeping operations will not be released until the start of such dialogue.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf has declare himself ready to hold a reconciliation conference, but concrete steps are yet to be undertaken.

All factors considered, many observers fear that the Horn of Africa country may well be drifting towards chaos once more.