Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) – There is an ever more serious and chaotic situation in Somalia, where clashes continue between troops of the national transitional government and rebels linked to the fundamentalist branch of the Islamic Courts (and supported by the Shebab Movement), who supposedly have connections with the international “Jihad.”
Among the victims is the Director of Shabelle Radio, Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe, who was assassinated in an attack in the Bakaro market in Mogadishu, performed by at least 3 armed men. In the attack, the Director of Programming for the radio station, Ahmed Tajir, was also wounded.
On February 4 of this year, Hirabe was left unharmed in another attack in Bakaro, in which the Director of Horn Afrik Radio, Said Tahlil Ahmed, was killed.
In the last 2 years, the Bakaro market has been the site of the killing of several journalists and other important figures in Somali society. In 2009, another two journalists from the Shabelle Media Network were killed. These people have given their lives for trying to maintain coverage for the local people and the rest of the world, as to what is going on in Somalia, a country that has been in chaos for nearly 20 years.
As for the military situation, the fighting has been concentrated in the city of Wabho, 400 kilometers from Mogadishu, where the last 3 days have been filled with intense combat and at least 130 people have been killed. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, one of the most important rebel leaders, was severely wounded in the fighting.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at least 96,000 Somalians have been forced to leave their homes in Mogadishu since this past May 8, when fighting broke out between government forces and armed rebel groups. According to a statement from the UNHCR sent to Agenzia Fides, it is estimated that 35,000 of these people, unable to flee, are still in the city in search of a refuge in a more secure area. Nearly 26,000 have been successful in escaping to provisional areas in Afgooye, nearly 30 km southeast of Mogadishu, meeting up with the 400,000 refugees who already live in the area. Another 35,000 have fled to other parts of Somalia. Others are entering the neighboring countries.
According to the local UNHCR partners in Somalia, nearly 2,000 people have mentioned that they intend to cross the border into Kenya. Over 1,000 have said they are willing to risk their lives to face the dangerous journey to Yemen, crossing the Gulf of Aden. Nearly 600 people have gone to Ethiopia. In neighboring Kenya, the number of daily new arrivals from Somalia has gone from 100 to 200 in the last week. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 32,000 people have arrived in Kenya, making the total number of Somali refugees in the country over 297,000. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 8/6/2009)
