Ethiopia-Somali forces raid Mogadishu market in search of weapons

November 12, 2007 (MOGADISHU) — Columns of joint Ethiopia-Somali forces scoured for weapons in the capital’s main market on Monday to stem an escalating insurgency that has killed at least 60 people in five days.

The troops blocked roads then swooped from door-to-door in Bakara market, a suspected hideout of Islamist-led rebels relentlessly attacking pro-government targets in recent days. The usual bustle was absent.

“The operation will continue for a week,” said Mogadishu’s mayor and former warlord Mohamed Omar Habeb.

Traders denied they were hiding weapons in what used to be an open-air arms bazaar.

“I do not think there are weapons in the market, but let them check,” said Ali Mohamed Siad, dean of Mogadishu traders. There were no reports of recovered weaponry or civilians injured as reporters stayed away.

After talks, Ethiopian army and Bakara traders cliched a deal set enter into force on Tuesday, although previous accords have barely been implemented.

“We have agreed starting tomorrow, all roads should re-opened, business should not be disturbed and the dead should be buried,” said a trader who requested anonymity.

At least 60 people, mostly civilians, have died since Thursday in the worst clashes since April when Ethiopian troops wrested control of Mogadishu from Islamists who briefly controlled large parts of the country.

The EU humanitarian body, ECHO, pleaded Monday for civilian safety in the city.

“It is necessary for all parties to spare the civilian population, to respect the medical staff (and) to allow the evacuation of the wounded to the hospital,” said Giuseppe Angelini, the agency’s deputy for Africa.

The closure of Bakara market, a lifeline for Mogadishu dwellers, has disrupted trade in the city where violence has choked aid operations, according to residents.

The fortnight of clashes and displacement of scores more thousands of people has worsened the humanitarian crisis that has blighted the nation for 16 years, with areas just outside the city struggling to cope with the latest influx.

The Shabelle region — known as Somalia’s breadbasket — has suffered its worst crop in 13 years and relief agencies warned that major food shortages threaten the lives of thousands of children.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is locked in talks to find a new prime minister following the resignation late last month of Ali Mohamed Gedi.

Bloody clan bickering and power struggles that intensified after 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre have scuppered many bids to stabilise the Horn of Africa country of nine million people.

Meanwhile Monday, authorities shut down Mogadishu’s Radio Shabelle, giving no reason for the move against one of the largest independent stations in the capital.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said the closure, the second since September, showed that the government’s “contempt” for media had reached a “new level.”

(AFP)