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SOMALIA: MOGADISHU MILITIA LEADERS DISPLAY THEIR POWERS May 14, 2005
<|militia.jpg||left|>Eighty-five fighting vehicles known as technical in Somalia were displayed in Mogadishu soccer stadium today. Speakers at the scene said they took this step of unifying their forces in a bit to secure the capital. This public display attracted many spectators and it is the first of its kind in Mogadishu history.
Mr. Ahmed Dirie, the spokesman for Somali government and parliament members in Mogadishu, told SomaliNet most of these armed vehicles will be taken to a military base outside of the city. “The rest will be used for security purposes.†He said.
The leaders who brought their militias and weapons to the stadium in a show of unity are the ones who divided the capital into many small enclaves for the past fifteen years. They are now on the same side of the Somalia’s power struggle and want their and fighters integrated into the future national army.