BBC
Monday, May 15, 2006
MOGADISHU, May 15 — The Somali capital, Mogadishu, is calm after a ceasefire was agreed to end a week of fighting in the north between warlords and an Islamist militia.
A BBC correspondent in the city says residents expect the truce to hold and are preparing to return to their homes.
At least 150 people, mainly civilians, died in the violence and thousands fled their homes in northern districts.
The fighting was fuelled by a belief that the US was backing the alliance of warlords against the Islamists.
The ceasefire came after President Abdullahi Yusuf called on ministers, many of whom are warlords, to stop leading their militias into battle.
In the town of Baidoa, 250km to the west, members of the transitional government held a session of parliament to discuss the situation.
The transitional government has not moved to Mogadishu because of security concerns, and controls only a small part of the country.
On Friday the United States called for a ceasefire.
Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed signed the deal on behalf of the Islamic fighters and Nuur Daqle signed for the secular Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism.
However, it is not clear if the alliance is fully committed to the ceasefire.
Alliance spokesman Hussein Gutale Ragheh had been quoted as backing the ceasefire but has also reportedly said that the alliance had not signed it.
There are strong suspicions the US has been secretly funding the warlords, although Washington insists it has not violated the arms embargo on Somalia, says BBC Africa analyst David Bamford.
But a top US diplomat in Africa, Jendayi Frazer, acknowledged on Friday that the White House would work with those who can help “prevent Somalia becoming a safe haven for terrorists”.
The fighting began when warlords, who had divided Mogadishu into fiefdoms, united to tackle a growing Islamist force.
This was the second round of serious fighting in Mogadishu this year. In March, clashes between the two sides killed at least 90 people.
Somalia has not had an effective national authority for 15 years since the ousting of President Siad Barre in 1991.
Source: BBC, May 15, 2006
