Disarmament in Somalia
After two decades of violence and
Past efforts
Since the 1991 war, there have been over a dozen attempts to bring an end to the Somali Civil War. They were often shoaled by warlords and inter-clan rivalries.
Recent efforts
2006 ICU attempt to disarm warlords
In 2006, the
The ICU attempted to curb the private possession of weapons, closing down the infamous Mogadishu arms market, and impounding or appropriating technicals for use solely by the Islamic Courts forces:
We were skeptical, but everyone we have spoken to since– doctors, teachers, journalists, shopkeepers– has talked of a city transformed. Gone are the ubiquitous checkpoints where the warlords’ militias killed, extorted and stole. Gone are their technicals, Jeeps with heavy machine guns mounted on the back. The infamous Bakaro arms markets has been closed. The only guns and technicals now are those of the Sharia courts enforcers, and the reports of violence in the papers were of the
Ipswich murders.[5]
Many Somali warlords, along with the nation of
December 2006
On December 29, 2006,
Ghedi's decree for disarmament also applied to non-government troops in the autonomous state of Puntland, where it was seen as questionably enforceable.[8]
January 2007
Announcement of weapons collections and amnesty
On January 1, 2007, Somali
He said all civilian groups and businesses would have three days to disarm and turn their weapons in to the government.
Ghedi also made an appeal for
On January 2, Prime Minister Ghedi met with leaders of the Ayr subclan of the Habar-Gidir clan, a branch of the Hawiye tribe, to reassure the subclan regarding disarmament and to establish how they would work with the TFG. They had been supporters of the ICU.[12]
On January 3, Police Commander Ali Mohamed Hassan Loyan, who has only 1,000 officers under his command, admitted he was vastly outgunned: "I cannot say there is a viable police operation in Mogadishu." Meanwhile, the infamous Bakaara Market had re-opened and was doing brisk business.[14]
Two other warlords, including MP
A group of 20 militia turned in their weapons, along with a machine gun mounted technical, in hopes of joining the newly forming army.[16]
On January 4, government and Ethiopian forces began disarming residents of Jilib following an attack which killed two soldiers and wounded two others.[17]
In Mogadishu, TFG militias set up checkpoints in the city. At one checkpoint, a group of militia apparently attempted to extort money from the driver of an oil tanker truck. In the ensuing argument, a rocket was fired at the vehicle, injuring at least 2 or 3 people. The vehicle had been carrying dozens of passengers who disembarked before the rocket attack.[18][19][20]
On January 5, 1,000 soldiers from Puntland traveled to Mogadishu to help in the disarmament of the capital.[21] In Marka, Lower Shabelle, at least four people were killed in inter-militia fighting; two other militia and two civilians were wounded.[22]
Riots in Mogadishu
On January 6, a crowd of more than 100 rioters gathered near Tarabunka square in Mogadishu. They protested the presence of Ethiopian troops as well as the plans to disarm the populace. Prime Minister Ghedi issued a decision to postpone the disarmament for an indefinite amount of time.[23] At least seven were injured as police fired shots to disburse demonstrations around the city.[24]
Agreement to Disarm
On January 12, the same day as the
Meanwhile, even as the meeting was taking place, fighting outside Villa Somalia killed seven people. The members of government and warlords present for the meeting[26] included the following individuals:
- President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
- Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi
- Defense Minister Col. Barre Hirale - former leader of the JVA
- Mohamed Qanyare Afrah- MP
- ARPCT
- Omar Filish- MP
- Botan Ise Alin - MP
- Col. Abdi Qeybdiid - leader of the self-declared state of Galmudug
- Abdi Waal
Martial law declared
On January 13 the
Given their new powers, on January 15, 2007, the TFG
Warlords turn in arms
On January 17, 2007,
Call for National Reconciliation Conference
On January 30, 2007, President Yusuf called for a new national reconciliation conference to be held within three weeks. In related news, a commitment for 4,000 peacekeepers had been made by the AU, and the search continued for another 4,000 to constitute the full planned contingent.[31]
Eventually, the 2007 Somali National Reconciliation Conference was called on 2007-03-01 to begin on 16 April 2007.
References
- ^ Demobilization of the Militia Archived 2007-06-29 at the Wayback Machine Somali Joint Needs Assessment (MS Word Doc)
- ^ Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration: Somalia Militia Archived 2007-06-29 at the Wayback Machine Nairobi Kenya, May 2005 (MS Word Doc)
- ^ Somalian resistance out gunned Archived 2006-08-19 at the Wayback Machine AP, United Nations, Taipei Times
- ^ Islamic Leader Talks of Peace in Somalia Archived 2006-11-20 at the Wayback Machine Associated Press
- ^ "Battle-scarred nation is at peace with itself... but still facing war", Martin Fletcher, The Times, December 16, 2006
- ^ Somalia: News summary for December 29, 2006 Archived 2007-01-17 at the Wayback Machine SomaliNet
- ^ AP Interview: Former warlord calls government control of Somali capital an illusion Archived 2008-10-16 at the Wayback Machine Associated Press
- ^ Somalia govt orders Puntland to surrender weapons Archived 2007-01-06 at the Wayback Machine Garowe Online
- ^ a b Somali prime minister orders complete disarmament Associated Press
- ^ Islamic militants in Somalia flee after stronghold falls Archived 2007-01-04 at the Wayback Machine Associated Press
- ^ Somali government to disarm the civilian population in three days[usurped] Shabelle Media Network
- ^ Somalia: Premier Gedi meets with Ayr sub-clan over the disarmament Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine SomaliNet
- ^ Somalia: Former warlord says no revenge against Islamists[usurped] Shabelle Media Network
- ^ Everyone in Somalia's capital has a gun– everyone, that is, but the police Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine Associated Press
- ^ Somalia: Ex-warlords question calls for public disarmament [permanent dead link] Garowe Online
- ^ Somalia: Arms surrendered to the government for the first time[usurped] Shabelle Media Network
- ^ Somali Government forces start disarming residents in Jilib[usurped] Shabelle Media Network
- ^ Somalia: Militias burn vehicle, wound 3 at illegal roadblock [permanent dead link] Garowe Online
- ^ Truck attacked in Somalia, many wounded Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Reuters
- ^ Somalia: Two people are injured after armed militias open fire at a truck[usurped] Shabelle Media Network
- ^ "Somalia: Puntland forces to assist in Mogadishu disarmament". Garowe Online. 2006-01-05. Retrieved 2006-01-06. [dead link]
- ^ "Somalia: 4 dead in clan militia fighting". Garowe Online. 2006-01-05. Retrieved 2006-01-06. [dead link]
- ^ "Somalia: Riots in Mogadishu, disarmament postponed". Garowe Online. 2006-01-06. Archived from the original on January 8, 2007. Retrieved 2006-01-06.
- ^ "Somalia: Seven demonstrators injured in Mogadishu". Shabelle Media Network. 2006-01-06. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2006-01-06.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Somali warlords agree to disarm as government troops capture last Islamic holdout in south". Associated Press. 2007-01-12. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
- ^ "Somalia leaders, ex-warlords reach deal as fighting kills 7". Garowe Online. 2007-01-12. Retrieved 2007-01-12. [dead link]
- ^ "Martial law declared in Somalia". BBC. 2007-01-13. Archived from the original on 2007-01-15. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ "Martial law for Somalia after Islamists flee capital". Reuters. 2006-12-29. Archived from the original on 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ "Somalia: Warlords lay down weapons". SomaliNet. 2007-01-17. Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
- )
- ^ "Somali president calls for national reconciliation conference: Official". Garowe Online. 2007-01-30. Retrieved 2007-02-01. [dead link]
External links
- Somali Joint Needs Assessment United Nations & World Bank Coordination Secretariat
- Country Profiles, Reports and Fact Sheets on Somalia WomenWarPeace.org