Biyokulule Online

Renewed Clashes in Capital, Youths Movement Denies Leader Was Replaced
Al-Sharq al-Awsat Online
Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A member of the hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebel group carries a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) during a demonstration in Mogadishu, October 30, 2009.

Report by Khalid Mahmud in Cairo: “Somalia: Youths Movement denies intelligence reports its present amir has been replaced. Clashes between African and government forces and the insurgents”

The violent clashes were renewed yesterday inside the Somali capital Mogadishu between the Somali Government troops that are backed by the African peacekeeping forces and the Islamist insurgents seeking to overthrow the government of Somalia`s Transitional President Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmad.

Ibrahim al-Shuwaymi, the Arab League`s (AL) envoy to Somalia, told “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” in a telephone contact from Mogadishu that the clashes took place when the African forces tried to advance and take new military positions simultaneously with a similar move by the recently-trained government troops. He added: “We are nearing a stage of preparation by both sides which can be described as a long process of probing before we see an escalation in the renewed fighting in Mogadishu.” He noted that the fighting was raging around the Siad Barre Academy and Al-Masna Street north and east of the capital and that a large number of people were killed or wounded. Four civilians have been killed and eight wounded since the start of the clashes the day before yesterday.

Somali sources said elements from the hard-line Youths Movement and Islamic Party were taking part in the fighting in an attempt to stop the African and government forces` advance and prevent them from deploying further inside Mogadishu.

On the other hand, the AL will take part in the 16^th session of the Somalia Contact Group which will be held in the Saudi city of Jedda on Thursday at the invitation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Al-Shuwaymi told “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” that Samir Husni, the official in charge of the Somali dossier at the AL, would lead its delegation to this meeting in which representatives of the African Union and EU would also participate in addition to the United Nations and aid donor countries. The meeting is expected to discuss the deteriorating security and military situation in Somalia and also the means of providing logistical support to enable the fragile transitional authority to impose its control on all parts of the capital.

Meanwhile, an authoritative source in the Youths Movement denied to “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” what he called the false rumors about replacing the movement`s current amir Shaykh Abd-al-Rahman Abu-al-Zubayr and appointing the Comoran Fadil Abdallah from Al-Qa`ida organization in his place. The source, which asked to remain unidentified, said in a telephone contact from somewhere in Mogadishu: Abu-al-Zubayr continues his work as the movement`s amir and reports that he has been changed and replaced by another person are absolutely baseless. He added: “We do not know who this Fadil is and he has no connection with the movement organizationally, politically, or administratively. The movement`s enemies sometimes fabricate false information and reiterate it to the media.” He then pointed out that the movement`s amir congratulated, in what was his last public appearance, the Somali people and Muslims on the second day of the blessed Id Al-Adha through a voice message broadcast by all the local media mediums. But the same source refused to answer questions about the presence of foreign fighters inside the movement`s ranks and pointed out that he did not have the authority to talk about this issue to the media. He added that the movement`s amir has no need to appear in public and the media and denied again the rumors that he has been replaced and said a videotape might be released within two months to reply tacitly to these reports but he does not want to go into these details at present for security and political reasons.

(Description of Source: London Al-Sharq al-Awsat Online in Arabic -- Website of influential London-based pan-Arab Saudi daily; editorial line reflects Saudi official stance. URL: http://www.asharqalawsat.com/)