Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mogadishu (Fides Service)- The president of Somalia Abdullahi Yusuf who left Nairobi capital of Kenya yesterday directed to Qatar and other Persian Gulf countries for a pan-Arab consultation has yet to return to his country.
On his journey he is expected to go to Jowhar circa 70 km. north of Mogadishu where the new institutions will probably be until security in Mogadishu is guaranteed. In fact Yusuf’s plane landed in Djibouti officially for technical reasons because Jowhar is not equipped for night landings.
“But the truth is they are negotiating with local clans to let President Yusuf spend a few hours in what should become Somalia’s temporary capital” local sources told Fides. In fact in early June to prevent the new government from being installed at Jowhar there were violent clashes around the town (see Fides 1 June 2005).
In Mogadishu there are about a hundred members of parliament including the assembly’s chairman Hassan Aden. In theory a minority: but Somali MPs - who are not elected but chosen by the clans - are weighed not counted. And the hundred in Mogadishu weigh a lot because they are led by a few influential war lords who at least in theory are important ministers in the federal unity interim government. The 100 in Mogadishu have said they are disbanding the militia and can guarantee security even from the strong Islamic opposition present in the capital. What is certain is that they have complete control of Mogadishu and that there president Yusuf - an old combatant, former warlord and President of Puntland, strategic region in the north east - on very bad terms with the clans in the capital, would be very unsafe and would at least have to be under strict army control. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 14/6/2005 righe 28 parole 330)
