Somalia’s capital calm as leaders hold talks

MOGADISHU – The dominant clan in Somalia’s capital held talks with the Ethiopian military in a bid to prevent further bloodshed in Mogadishu, which remained calm for a second day yesterday after fighting left nearly 400 people dead.

US, European, Arab and African diplomats were also meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, as part of the International Contact Group on Somalia to try to get the warring parties to end the fighting, the worst seen in the capital in 15 years. The conference in Cairo will discuss how the world can help the transitional government restore law and order, Foreign Minister Ismael Hurreh said.”The most important issue on the table is the security in the country,” he told The Associated Press by telephone from the Egyptian capital.Even by Somalia’s bloody standards, the violence has been intense.Rotting corpses litter the tiny, dusty alleyways and back streets in the south of the capital where much of the fighting took place.”We are discussing the cease-fire and how to strengthen it,” Ahmed Diriye, spokesman for the influential Hawiye clan that dominates the ruined coastal capital, said of the talks with Ethiopian military leaders.In a statement released late Monday, the EU condemned the fighting and “the massive loss of human life.””A cease-fire is the prerequisite for bringing the required humanitarian assistance to the affected population, which is now so urgently needed,” the statement said.Some 565 people have also been wounded during four days of heavy fighting.Ethiopian troops used tanks and attack helicopters in an offensive to crush insurgents linked to an Islamic group driven from power in December.At least 36 Ethiopian soldiers were killed and 48 wounded in the fighting, said a Somali official on condition of anonymity because it related to security matters.The official saw the soldiers being taken off two military helicopters at Dolow airport, 510 kilometres west of Mogadishu and on the border with Ethiopia.The fighting has hindered aid agencies from responding adequately, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia said.”Trapped by the fighting, many wounded are unable to access medical facilities and lie unattended in the streets,” the statement said.Thousands of people have fled.Nampa-APThe conference in Cairo will discuss how the world can help the transitional government restore law and order, Foreign Minister Ismael Hurreh said.”The most important issue on the table is the security in the country,” he told The Associated Press by telephone from the Egyptian capital.Even by Somalia’s bloody standards, the violence has been intense.Rotting corpses litter the tiny, dusty alleyways and back streets in the south of the capital where much of the fighting took place.”We are discussing the cease-fire and how to strengthen it,” Ahmed Diriye, spokesman for the influential Hawiye clan that dominates the ruined coastal capital, said of the talks with Ethiopian military leaders.In a statement released late Monday, the EU condemned the fighting and “the massive loss of human life.””A cease-fire is the prerequisite for bringing the required humanitarian assistance to the affected population, which is now so urgently needed,” the statement said.Some 565 people have also been wounded during four days of heavy fighting.Ethiopian troops used tanks and attack helicopters in an offensive to crush insurgents linked to an Islamic group driven from power in December.At least 36 Ethiopian soldiers were killed and 48 wounded in the fighting, said a Somali official on condition of anonymity because it related to security matters.The official saw the soldiers being taken off two military helicopters at Dolow airport, 510 kilometres west of Mogadishu and on the border with Ethiopia.The fighting has hindered aid agencies from responding adequately, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia said.”Trapped by the fighting, many wounded are unable to access medical facilities and lie unattended in the streets,” the statement said.Thousands of people have fled.Nampa-AP