From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Sat May 23 2009 - 16:31:00 EDT
ERITREA RECALLS AU ENVOY
Insurgents in Mogadishu attack AU peacekeepers
23 May 2009 20:05:29 GMT
* Insurgent strongholds shelled, rebels attack AU troops
* African Union calls for U.N. sanctions on Eritrea
* Eritrea recalls envoy, says AU "part of the problem"
(Recasts with AU attack, adds Eritrea recalls AU envoy, quote)
By Abdi Sheikh and Mohamed Ahmed
MOGADISHU, May 23 (Reuters) - Hardline Islamist insurgents in Somalia's
capital fired mortar bombs at the presidential palace and attacked
African Union peacekeepers on Saturday night at the end of a second day
of heavy fighting.
Government forces and rebels blasted shells at each other in the
afternoon and fighters clashed in parts of Mogadishu. Two people were
killed and 10 wounded near Bakara Market, an al Shabaab rebel
stronghold. Fighting on Friday killed at least 45.
A human rights group said many residents fled during a lull in the
violence on Saturday, joining 49,000 others who have fled the city
during an upsurge of violence over the past two weeks.
Neighbouring states and Western governments fear the Horn of Africa
nation, mired in civil war for 18 years, could become a haven for
militants linked to al Qaeda unless the new government of President
Sheikh Sharif Ahmed can defeat them.
At night, heavy gunfire and explosions could still be heard.
"Opposition groups have attacked us with rocket-propelled grenades," a
senior Burundian officer told Reuters. "They are still firing at us and
we shall defend ourselves."
The African Union has some 4,300 peacekeepers from Burundi and Uganda in
Mogadishu to help protect key sites. Their mandate limits the force to
defending itself when attacked.
Islamist insurgents took up arms in 2007 to drive out Ethiopian troops
propping up a Western-backed government which failed to wield control
over much of Somalia.
Since the start of 2007, fighting has killed at least 17,700 civilians
and driven more than 1 million from their homes. About 3 million Somalis
survive on emergency food aid.
ERITREA RECALLS AU ENVOY
The Ethiopians withdrew at the start of 2009 and Ahmed was elected
president in neighbouring Djibouti in January. However, the insurgents
have stepped up attacks on the new administration and AU peacekeepers
over the past few weeks.
The hardline Al Shabaab, which Washington says has close ties to al
Qaeda, and Islamist guerrilla group Hizbul Islam have been spearheading
attacks on the capital and central Somalia.
Somalia's government has accused Eritrea of supporting al Shabaab
fighters with planeloads of weapons including AK-47 assault rifles and
rocket-propelled grenades.
The African Union (AU) stepped up pressure on Eritrea on Friday by
calling for U.N. sanctions, a no fly-zone and a sea blockade of Somalia
to stem the flow of weapons.
"(The United Nations Security Council should) impose sanctions against
all those foreign actors, both within and outside the region, especially
Eritrea, providing support to the armed groups," the 53-member AU said
in a statement.
Eritrea's president denies the allegation, saying U.S. agents are
spreading lies to blacken his government's name.
Eritrean Information Minister Ahmed Ali Abdu told Reuters the Horn of
Africa nation had recalled its ambassador to the African Union following
the statement. He denied a media report saying the country had suspended
its AU membership.
Until Friday, pro-government forces had not looked strong enough to
break al Shabaab's grip on parts of Mogadishu.
Last week's defection of a veteran warlord with hundreds of fighters may
have prompted Ahmed to order the new offensive.
But experts say pro-government forces would be hard-pushed to extend
their reach to distant provinces, increasing the risk of protracted
fighting in a country that has known little but violence and anarchy
since its dictator was ousted in 1991.
An important figure in any reconciliation would be hardline opposition
leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who ran Mogadishu and much of southern
Somalia alongside Ahmed in late 2006.
But he told Reuters on Friday that fighting the Western-backed
government was a religious obligation and that the opposition forces
would defeat the administration soon. (Additional reporting by Abdi
Guled in Mogadishu, Andrew Cawthorne in Asmara, David Clarke in Nairobi
and Barry Malone in Addis Ababa; Writing by David Clarke; Editing by
Charles Dick)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LN543744.htm
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----