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SOMALIA: MOGADISHU STRONGMEN SAY NO TO PEACE September 28, 2005
<|muse_qanyare.jpg|Qanyare & Yalahow|left|>Faction leaders Muse Sudi Yalahow and Mohamed Qanyare Afrah rejected a proposal from within their alliance that would at least open the communication channel between Mogadishu and Jowhar. Former military man and ruler of Kismayo region, Mr. Barre Adan Shire (Hirale) proposed a dialog between the two sides of the divided Somali government in yesterday’s parliament session. However, these two faction leaders who are members of the parliament and hold ministerial positions in the interim government rejected it.
It is not the first time Mogadishu warlords sabotaged an interim government, and now it looks like as if Jowhar camp headed by President Ablulahi Yusuf and Prime Minister Ali Gedi triggered an invisible threshold of which Mogadishu faction leaders must revert to using muscle over brain. They would not refuse any meaningful dialog unless the stakes and the chances to lose are high.
Many political annalists say very few individuals with no public support benefit from the chaos and do not want to lose their heavy weaponry and national institutions they have been occupying for so long.
Mr. Shire was scheduled to brief the media about his peace proposal but that didn’t happen. His colleagues who did not appreciate the plan to save the interim government convinced at least to delay talking to the media after a long meeting with him today. In the meantime suspicions, accusations and counter accusations fly privately among parliament members Mogadishu.
In other developments, public support for the new Mogadishu mayor appointed by the prime minister is said to be increasing. Also a new political and possibly armed group whose agenda is not clear yet was announced in Mogadishu yesterday.