From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Tue Aug 11 2009 - 15:15:07 EDT
Somali Insurgents Reject Government's Olive Branch
By Peter Clottey
11 August 2009
Somalia's hard-line Islamic insurgents have rejected peace overtures after
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed called on them to stop the violence and
begin peace negotiations.
This comes less than a week after President Sheikh Sharif held talks with
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
The insurgents including, al-Shabab denounced President Sheikh Sharif's
invitation calling him an agent of the west who wants to control the
country's resources.
At a press conference Monday, President Sheikh Sharif accused al-Shabab of
being under the command of al-Qaida, which aims to turn Somalia into a safe
haven for international terrorism.
Political analyst Ali Abdullahi told VOA that Mogadishu is too weakened to
negotiate with the hard-line insurgents.
"I wonder who he (President Sheikh Sharif) will try to negotiate with. Also,
the government thinks it can sort of appeal to the not so much of the
hard-liners. But it seems on both sides not only the issue of negotiations
but there is also the possibility of escalation of violence," Abdullahi
said.
He said there are indications that the insurgents seem to have the upper
hand.
"Al-Shabab wings are saying that whatever arms given to the government, they
will take it from them as happened with the AK 47s that were given to them
recently. So what you find is that whatever weapons are given to the
government will ultimately end up in the hands of al-Shabab because the
government does not have anyone to fight for them," he said.
Abdullahi said the government faces a daunting task of defeating insurgents
who are highly motivated.
"Al-Shabab has a lot of spirit and they have a well disciplined group of
militants and the government is not well prepared to challenge them on the
battlefront. So the best way they (government) they could think of is maybe
to have a negotiation on the table. But I wonder whether the government will
be ready to negotiate from a point of weakness rather than a point of
strength," Abdullahi said.
He said President Sheik Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's administration is too fragile
to govern.
"The government seems to be at its weakest point; financially and
militarily, they are very weak. And there are also other factions which
apparently are deserting the government in the form of the military," he
said.
Abdullahi said a cross-section of Somalis is refusing to recognize the
government.
"There is also organized peaceful party which is being arranged to sort of
appeal to the international community as an alternative government because
most of the Somali elite don't see this government as representative of
them," Abdullahi said.
The hard-line insurgent groups have so far refused to recognize the
government, vowing to overthrow the administration and implement the
strictest form of Sharia law.
The insurgent groups control most of the country including some areas in the
capital, Mogadishu.
Somalia has been without an effective government after former longtime ruler
Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Siad Barre's overthrow reportedly led warlords to escalate the conflict,
which plunged the country into deeper crisis.
Conflicting Priorities Complicate US Policy Toward Sudan
By Alan Boswell
Nairobi
11 August 2009
Jonglei State in Southern SudanU.S. policy in Sudan is conflicted between
ending the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and rewarding Khartoum for quietly
being a partner in the global battle against terrorism, says a senior
analyst at a global intelligence company.
The director of sub-Saharan Africa analysis at Stratfor, Mark Schroeder,
says two policies in the Obama administration are at odds regarding U.S.
policy towards Sudan.
"The United States has had to balance two bigger areas of concern: one, the
humanitarian conflict in Darfur, and two, Sudanese cooperation in the war on
terror," Schroeder said.
The special U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, testified before a
Congressional hearing two weeks ago the United States would have to soon
"unwind" sanctions against Sudan to ensure south Sudan would be viable for
possible independence in 2011.
The statement was condemned by a number of Darfur advocacy groups in the
United States, including an umbrella group for the Darfur diaspora living in
America. The Darfur Leaders Network called for the Obama administration to
reject any softening of its stance towards the Sudan government, led by
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
Gration has since clarified his testimony before Congress, saying in an
interview late last week that his remarks had been misunderstood and that
the United States is not considering lifting sanctions against Sudan.
According to Schroeder, a mobilized wing in Mr. Obama's Democratic Party
considers the crisis in Darfur a key rallying point for justice against
humanitarian abuses worldwide.
But Schroeder says Khartoum has been a useful behind-the-scenes ally in the
global struggle against terrorist groups.
"Now there are other elements within the United States government that have
had to cooperate with the Sudanese government since 9/11 in terms of the war
on terror," Schroeder said. "And the Sudanese government has been a more
background partner to help the United States gather intelligence on
international jihadists fighting in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq,
and some of those jihadists that have come from Sudan and from the Horn of
Africa region."
Sudan, which at one time served as the base for Osama bin Laden, remains on
the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism.
The outgoing commander of the joint African Union and U.N. peacekeeping
force in Darfur has praised what he sees as a warming of ties between the
United States and Sudan. He called for an end to the economic sanctions,
saying they were an impediment to peace and development in the region.
Darfur rebel groups reject Khartoum control over the region. Many fear any
easing of sanctions against Sudan would only empower the central government
and strengthen Khartoum's position at the Darfur negotiation table.
Besides finding a resolution to the conflict in Darfur, U.S. envoy Gration
has publicly stated that his other major priorities in Sudan are the
peaceful implementation of the North-South peace agreement and an end to the
hostilities between Sudan and neighboring Chad.
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