Associated Press
Published June 26, 2006
MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Islamic militia that controls Somalia’s capital and just named a suspected Al Qaeda associate as its leader said Sunday that it is willing to negotiate with the weak interim government that has been sitting in the unstable country’s west.
The militia’s new leader, Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, condemned the interim government in the past and said he opposed Western-style democracy for Somalia. He could not be reached for comment Sunday; several officials said he was not in Mogadishu.
A top member of the militia said the decision Saturday to restructure the group by adding dozens of new members as well as the new leader was a way to incorporate “different aspects of the community” as it negotiates with the government.
“We recently had a preliminary deal with the interim government, so we decided to give an opportunity to selective members of the Somali people to join us in our coming negotiations with government,” said Abdi-rahin Adow, the militia’s secretary.
The group, which changed its name from the Islamic Courts Union to the Somali Supreme Islamic Courts Council, wants a government based on strict Islamic law. It says that is the only way for Somalia to emerge from 15 years of anarchy without a strong central government.
The appointment of Aweys is likely to stoke fears in the U.S. that this Horn of Africa nation will become a haven for Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network, much like Afghanistan did in the 1990s. The State Department had no immediate comment.
A top member of the militia said the decision Saturday to restructure the group by adding dozens of new members as well as the new leader was a way to incorporate “different aspects of the community” as it negotiates with the government.
“We recently had a preliminary deal with the interim government, so we decided to give an opportunity to selective members of the Somali people to join us in our coming negotiations with government,” said Abdi-rahin Adow, the militia’s secretary.
The group, which changed its name from the Islamic Courts Union to the Somali Supreme Islamic Courts Council, wants a government based on strict Islamic law. It says that is the only way for Somalia to emerge from 15 years of anarchy without a strong central government.
The appointment of Aweys is likely to stoke fears in the U.S. that this Horn of Africa nation will become a haven for Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network, much like Afghanistan did in the 1990s. The State Department had no immediate comment.
Source: AP, June 26, 2006
