06/03/09 (B488) Les nouvelles de Somalie ( 6 articles en Anglais et en Français)

_________________________ 6 – Casafree (Maroc) avec XINHUA

La Charia est-elle une panacée pour les malheurs de la Somalie?

Le gouvernement somalien, dirigé par le président modéré islamiste Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a annoncé cette semaine qu’il pourrait appliquer la loi islamique ( Charia), dans le pays à la suite des exigences de son application par des influents leaders religieux et deux principaux groupes insurgés, mais les analystes ont estimé que cela pourrait ne pas être suffisant pour apaiser les groupes islamistes de l’opposition décidés à renverser le gouvernement.

Au début du mois de février, un groupe d’importants leaders religieux s’est rencontré dans la capitale, Mogadiscio.

Et a envoyé plusieurs recommandations au gouvernement, entre autres, l’imposition de la Charia, loi islamique, en Somalie et le retrait des soldats de la paix de l’Union africaine de la nation de la corne de l’Afrique déchirée par une guerre civile depuis pratiquement deux décennies.

« Nous n’avons pas seulement produit des recommandations à l’attention du gouvernement mais aussi rencontré le président et lui avons demandé d’appliquer les lois d’Allah dans le pays, ce qu’il a accepté, » a confié à Xinhua Sheikh Ahmed Abdi Disow, vice-président de l’Union des chercheurs islamistes de la Somalie.

L’application de la Charia est l’une des principales exigences des groupes armés islamistes en Somalie y compris même l’Union des tribunaux islamistes de l’actuel président qui a brièvement dirigé l’essentiel du sud et du centre de la Somalie au cours de la dernière moitié de l’année 2006 avant d’être chassé par les troupes alliées éthiopiennes et de l’ancien gouvernement somalien dirigé par Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed.

« La Charia n’est pas étrangère au gouvernement somalien étant donné qu’elle est reconnue comme la base de toute loi par l’actuelle charte nationale de transition et le président articule seulement cette loi lorsqu’il a affirmé que la Charia sera appliquée en Somalie, » a déclaré à Xinhua Abdullahi Qadar, porte-parole du président.

Les groupes insurgés de l’opposition ont affirmé que l’actuel gouvernement somalien n’est pas différent du précédent et n’applique pas la Charia dans le pays.

Muqtar Hersi, un intellectuel islamiste indépendant à Mogadiscio, a affirmé que les différents groupes en Somalie défendent une version différente de la loi islamique: modérée ou stricte, et il semble que la question de la Charia soit loin d’être résolue.

« Avec l’actuel gouvernement somalien dirigé par les islamistes modérés et les influents chercheurs islamistes étant essentiellement modérés, il semble que le type de Charia proposé par le gouvernement et les chercheurs soit assez différent de celui des groupes armés, » a indiqué Hersi à Xinhua.

Hersi a affirmé que la récente annonce par le gouvernement somalien de sa volonté d’appliquer la Charia dans le pays est loin d’apaiser les groupes radicaux qui exigent que leur version de la loi islamique stricte soit imposée en Somalie, un pays principalement composé de musulmans sunnites modérés.

Les groupes d’opposition, tels que le mouvement radical al- Shabaab, qui impose déjà sa version de la loi stricte islamique dans des vastes régions du sud de la Somalie et la coalition nouvellement formée de groupes insurgés connue sous le nom d’Hezbul Islam (Parti islamique), maintiennent qu’étant donné que la loi du gouvernement actuel est basée sur une charte séculaire et inclue des membres du précédent cabinet, il n’est pas la bonne institution pour appliquer la Charia.

« Je ne comprends pas pourquoi nous sommes partis du précédent gouvernement alors que nous estimons que celui-ci applique la Charia et que l’autre ne le faisait pas? Tous les deux sont pareils avec seulement un changement au sommet, » a indiqué à Xinhua Sheikh Muse Arale, porte-parole du Hezbul Islam.

« La lutte se poursuivra tant qu’un véritable Etat islamique n’est pas créé en Somalie », -a-til déclaré.

Par Abdurrahman Warsameh
Xinhua

______________________________ 5 – Shabelle (En Anglais)

Les islamistes de Bardhere ont arrêtés environs 70 personnes, dont une majorité de jeunes qui sont détenues au motif d’avoir enfreint les ordres de l’administration, en particulier concernant le couvre-feu. ///Islamists detain 70 people in Bardhere town

The Islamic administration of al-Shabab in Bardhere town has conducted operations and detained at least 70 people in Bardhere town in Gedo region, official told Shabelle radio on Friday.

Sheik Farah Abu Shureym, head of the security of the Islamic administration of al-Shabab in Bardhere town said that they arrested at least 70 people in the town those most of them were young teenagers after violating the order of the administration in Bardhere town.

The Islamic administration of al-Shabab controls Bardhere town in southwestern of Somalia and imposed curfew in the town over the past week.

Sheik Abu Shureym said that they released some of the detainees earlier after paying fining money.

“We thank to the people of Bardhere town for taking order of the Islamic administration in Bardhere town. It is the 6th night of constant nights of curfew that we had imposed in the town conducting operations at the night time to keep the security. Who every is seen walking after 10:00 PM will be arrested for case of violation of law,” Sheik Farah said.

Asked about the date that the curfew will last, he replied that it will be removed as they assure whole the security of the town.

The operations conducted by the Islamic administration in Bardhere town comes as there is great dispute between the Islamic organization of Ahlu Sunna Waljamea and al-Shabab over the commemoration of Rabicul Awal month (birth month of the prophet) Muhammed peace be up on him in Bardhere town.

______________________________ 4 – Shabelle (En Anglais)

Plusieurs milliers de personnes manifestent à Mogadiscio dans le grand stade en faveur de l’instauration de la Charia et pour dénoncer le mandat d’arrêt délivré par la CPI à l’encontre du Président soudanais. // Demonstrations in favour for clerics take place in Mogadishu

-Thousands of people have gathered in Mogadishu’s main football stadium and Sayidka Park Thursday in favour for the decisions made by Somali clerics in Mogadishu and to protest against the arrest warrant of Sudan’s president.

Somali clerics concluded a meeting in Mogadishu last month and called for the government to rule the country by the Islamic law.

Sheik Ahmed Dahir Aways, who is one the Islamic clerics and a brother of influential cleric Sheik Hassan Dahir Aways, spoke to the demonstrators and called for the Somali people to take Allah’s book and work for the peace which he described the only solution for the Somali problems.

The demonstrators were chanting slogans to support the sharia and the peace of Mogadishu.

People who gathered in Sayidka Park near the presidential palace were chanting slogans against the decision of the International criminal court which issued the arrest warrant against Sudan’s president Omar Hassan Al-Bashiir.

_______________ 3 – Source Amnesty International (En Anglais)

Selon A.I. les civils somaliens paient le « prix fort », dans les combats violents qui se déroulent à Mogadiscio. // Civilians pay the price of intense fighting in Mogadishu: AMNESTY

Amnesty International is calling on armed opposition groups and government forces in Somalia to cease all indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks and to take all feasible precautions to avoid loss of life and injury of civilians.

Last week’s fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, resulted in some 40 deaths and at least 241 injuries, including to at least 70 women and children, though this toll may be higher.

Amnesty International is also concerned at allegations that the African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM) used mortars and heavy artillery in civilian-populated areas during the fighting. Amnesty International is calling on the African Union to clearly instruct its soldiers in Somalia that their rules of engagement include respect for international humanitarian law at all times.

Amnesty International is also calling on the international community to apply pressure on all parties to the conflict to end indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, and to demand that all feasible precautions are taken to avoid loss of life and injury of civilians. Those who order and carry out indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks should be held accountable for war crimes. The international community should establish an international Commission of Inquiry to investigate violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Somalia.

Most of those killed or injured in fighting on 24 and 25 February were wounded by blast, mortar shrapnel and gunshots. Amnesty International has received reports that all those engaged in last week’s fighting, including armed opposition groups, government police forces and AMISOM, have fired mortars, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) in areas populated by civilians.

On the morning of 24 February, an armed group attacked a Transitional Federal Government (TFG) police checkpoint in Taleh in the Hodan district of southern Mogadishu with machine guns and RPGs. The attack was claimed by Hizb al-Islamiya, a coalition recently formed of armed groups opposed to the TFG.

Heavy fighting ensued and spread through adjacent streets towards an AMISOM base, whose forces reportedly came to reinforce the TFG forces. Mortar shells landed in nearby civilian areas, including in the Hodan, Bakara market, Hawlwadag, and Black Sea neighbourhoods. Ahmed Saed Omar, a 38-year-old lecturer in English, was killed by shrapnel from a mortar that landed in the street in the Hodan district.

Fighting continued throughout the day and evening, with mortars fired at the Presidential Palace. Fighting resumed on 25 February, when mortar shells hit a Koranic school in Tawfiq, northern Mogadishu, killing one child and injuring seven others. One of the wounded children in that blast was reported to have later died in hospital. Shells also hit homes in southern Mogadishu, killing at least three persons.

While many civilians had fled Mogadishu because of conflict since early 2007, there are still many civilians living in the city. In addition, some 40,000 displaced, according to UNHCR estimates, have returned to the capital since January 2009 in the hope that the appointment of the new TFG President, a former opponent of the TFG, would improve security. In Hodan district, where the fighting started, some 3,000 were reported to have recently returned to the area. Now hundreds, possibly thousands, of people have fled Hodan and Hawlwadag again.

Indiscriminate attacks by all parties have become a well-established pattern in Somalia’s conflict since early 2007.

Under international humanitarian law all parties to the conflict must take all feasible precautions to protect civilians against the effect of attacks. Routinely initiating attacks in densely civilian-populated areas, as done by the armed opposition groups, violates this obligation.

While TFG and African Union forces have a right to defend themselves against attacks, indiscriminate attacks, such as the shelling of whole areas where civilians live without attempting to identify and target military objectives is illegal. Artillery and mortars are area weapons and are not appropriate for pinpointing targets in densely populated civilian areas.

Background:

Somalia has been marred by conflict since the fall of the Siad Barre government in 1991.

Conflict intensified and unlawful killings of civilians increased after Ethiopian troops entered Somalia at the end of 2006 to help the TFG fight armed opposition groups, some of whom issued from the Union of Islamic Courts, which was controlling the capital Mogadishu and other parts of the country in 2006.

Ethiopian troops withdrew at the end of 2008 and Abdullahi Yusuf resigned as President of the TFG, and was replaced by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, then leader of the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia- Djibouti (ARS-Djibouti). The new TFG President nominated a Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, who has now formed a new government and has just returned to the capital.

Armed groups — including al-Shabab and Hizb al-Islamiya, which includes a faction faithful to the opposition ARS-Asmara, which opposed peace talks between the TFG and the ARS-Djibouti, have vowed, since the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces, to target the small African Union peace-support mission in Somalia (AMISOM). On 22 February, a suicide attack, claimed by an Al-Shabab faction, on an African Union base in Mogadishu killed 11 Burundian soldiers.

An internal investigation is reportedly underway into allegations that on 2 February, AMISOM soldiers opened fire indiscriminately; resulting in civilian casualties, after one of their vehicles was hit by an explosion on Maka Al-Mukarama road in Mogadishu.

__________________________________ 2 – Shabelle (En Anglais)

Les troupes de l’Union africaine (AMISOM) blessent un pêcheur et détruisent des embarcations à proximité de l’aéroport de Mogadiscio. Le porte-parole de l’AMISOM est aux « abonnés absents ». // AU troops wound Somali fisherman

The African Union troops in the Somali capital Mogadishu have wounded a Somali fisherman and destroyed boats of fishermen Wednesday near Aden Ade International airport, a witness told radio Shabelle on Thursday.

“We were fishing about 40 miles south of the airport when Ugandan troops on small boats reached us they suddenly opened fire on our boats with out talking to us. One fisherman became injured and they destroyed our boat,” said Hassan Mohamud Jiisow, a Somali fisherman.

“We thought they were peacekeepers but after this time we will consider them as enemies. We are not pirates we are fisherman who are chasing their daily bread in the sea,” he added.

Fishermen accused the Ugandan troops of harassing and called for them to stop targeting the fishermen.

Shabelle tried to talk about the accusation to the AMISOM spokesperson but could not reach him.

___________________________________ 1 – Shabelle (En Anglais)

Un religieux bien connu a été tué au pistolet, par trois hommes masqués, dans le chef-lieu de la région de Mudug. // Famous Sheik killed in Central Somalia

Three masked gunmen armed with pistols have killed a famous, Somali cleric in Galkacyo, the regional capital of Mudug region in central Somalia, officials and witnesses said on Thursday.

Sheik Ali Afyare, the deceased cleric was a prominent religious man from Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca Islamist organization.

The governor of Mufud region confirmed the death of the Sheik and said he would investigate the matter.

Witnesses said three masked gunman shot the sheik late on Wednesday in the town and they immediately fled on foot from the scene.

It is not known the reason behind his killing, but there has been a power struggle between Islamist factions in recent months.

Ahlu Sunna Waljamca is a moderate religious organization that does not have a political ambition.