Somali Islamists threaten to kill peace conference participants

July 15, 2007 (MOGADISHU, Somalia) — Troops have stepped up security across Somalia’s capital after Islamic militants threatened to disrupt this weekend’s peace conference, saying anyone who takes part “is sentenced to death.”

The threat came from the Shabab, the militant wing of an Islamic group that ruled much of southern Somalia for six months last year. The group was driven from its strongholds in December but has vowed to launch an Iraq-style insurgency until Somalia is ruled by an Islamic theocracy.

The Shabab termed Sunday’s meeting in Mogadishu a “conspiracy conference against the Somali people.”

“Anyone who participates in it is sentenced to death,” the group said in a posting on its Web site.

Mogadishu has seen little peace since government troops backed by Ethiopian forces drove the Islamic group out of the city in December. Roadside bombs, attacks on government installations, assassination attempts and gunbattles have become common, and civilians have been caught in the crossfire.

The peace conference is aimed at helping the troubled country heal the wounds of 16 years of conflict, but it has been postponed several times because of violence in the capital and infighting.

The government said the Shabab’s threats would not disrupt the conference.

“We have completed our preparations and most of the delegates have arrived so we will not be cowed by terrorists and insurgents,” said Abdi Haji Gobdon, the government spokesman.

Hundreds of Somali troops and their Ethiopian allies were patrolling the capital, and dozens of checkpoints were set up along major roads.

Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned against one another. The government was formed in 2004 with the help of the United Nations, but has struggled to assert any real control.

(AP)