DPA
Saturday, August 23, 2008
NAIROBI/MOGADISHU - The United Nations Special
Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah on Saturday condemned
the killing of civilians, as Islamic insurgents seized a major town
after a bloody battle.
Over
50 died, hundreds were injured and thousands forced to flee as Islamic
insurgent group al-Shabaab seized control of the strategic port of
Kismayo, which lies around 500 kilometres south of Mogadishu.
Al-Shabaab
took over the city on Friday after three days of bloody battles with
local clan militia that saw businesses shut down and bodies littering
the street.
"The Islamic Courts and al-Shabaab control Kismayo," clan elder Abdi Bashi told Mogadishu-based Radio Garowe.
The
transitional federal government and moderate opposition leaders signed
a ceasefire in Djibouti, but al-Shabaab, the armed wing of the Union of
Islamic Courts (UIC), has rejected the truce.
Al-Shabaab and other hardliners want Ethiopian troops propping up the government to leave before beginning talks.
Violence has not abated since the ceasefire was agreed in early June, and civilians continue to suffer.
Aid
agencies estimate more than 6,000 civilians have died in the last year,
most of them in the capital city Mogadishu, where clashes happen daily.
Hundreds of thousands have fled Mogadishu and aid agencies say that millions of Somalis are dependent on food aid.
Government
forces backed by Ethiopian troops often exchange mortar, rocket and
automatic weapon fire with insurgents in heavily populated areas.
The
UN Political Office for Somalia said that "a large number of civilians
were killed in what appeared to be indiscriminate attacks" on the road
out of capital Mogadishu last week.
Both sides are blaming each other for the attack.
Ould-Abdallah
said that the killing of civilians, not only in Kismayo but in other
areas, violated international law and said those responsible would be
held to account.
"I
call upon all parties to the conflict in Somalia to respect
international human rights and humanitarian law, and to stand by their
commitments under the Djibouti agreement," Ould-Abdallah said in a
statement.
Militants
have been waging a guerrilla war since Ethiopian troops helped the
government oust the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in late 2006.
Despite
the government's initial success and the death of al- Shabaab leader
Aden Hashi Ayro in a US airstrike in May, the insurgents appear to be
gaining strength.
The
interim government has been unable to achieve stability in the Horn of
Africa country, which has been plagued by chaos and civil war since
dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.
SOURCE: DPA, August 23 2008