Hizbul Islam, a coalition of Islamists groups fighting the Somali government forces and African Union peacekeepers, has rejected a ceasefire offer from President Ahmed. “We will attack the enemy and their stooges anytime we want,” the spokesman for Hizbul Islam said.
Somali ministers under the former Transitional Federal Government (TFG) handed over official documents to the new ministers of the unity government Monday at a ceremony in the capital, Mogadishu.
President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed said he would give in to Somali clerics’ demands to impose sharia, or Islamic law, throughout the country. The move is designed to placate the Islamist terror groups. The deputy speaker of parliament also welcomed the calls for sharia.
Somali president bends to rebel demand for sharia law
President Ahmed has opened negotiations with armed insurgent groups; it is unclear if Shabaab is one of the groups. Shabaab imposed a curfew in Bardhere. The UN is considering a peacekeeping operation in Somalia.
More than 35 Somalis were killed and 130 were wounded during two days of fighting between Shabaab and government and African Union forces in Mogadishu. Shabaab fighters took control of Hudur, the capital of Bakool province.
Somalia death toll hits 81 in worst fighting for weeks
Fighting in Mogadishu erupted today after African Union peacekeepers and Somali government forces expanded into several Mogadishu districts under insurgent control. The fighting left 21 killed and more than a dozen people wounded.
Many dead in Mogadishu fighting
The latest al Qaeda tape on Somalia was released one day after two suicide bombers killed 15 Burundi soldiers in Mogadishu. Zawahiri also calls on Islamists to fight President Sharif’s government.
11 peacekeepers killed in Somalia
Shabaab claimed to have conducted a dual suicide attack on Burundi troops in Mogadishu; the African Union claimed the attack was a mortar strike. An Islamic scholars’ council demanded that African Union troops withdraw ‘within 120 days.’ Pirates seized a Greek freighter.
A government official threatened to attack Islamist forces in the Gedo region. Somali police are preparing to re-occupy police stations in Mogadishu. British Muslims are joining Shabaab in Somalia. Ethiopian troops detained a Somali member of parliament.
The US has welcomed the appointment of Somalia’s new prime minister and urged Nigeria to deploy troops to Mogadishu for peacekeeping duty. Ethiopian troops are seizing trucks along the Somali border as soldiers continue to leave Somalia.
Valentines Day Al Shabaab Style (Beheading)
Th semi-autonomous region of Puntland has welcomed the appointment of the new Prime Minister. Ethiopian said it would support the new government. Ethiopian troops have withdrawn from the strategic Kala-Beyr crossroads in the central Hiran region
President Sharif chose Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake to be the new Prime Minister. The Ahlu Sunna Waljamea is backing President Sharif. Ethiopian troops withdrew from Kalaber on the border. A Russian warship captured 10 pirates and seized three ships.
During a press conference at the former parliament hall in Baidoa, Shabaab spokesman Muktar Robow said that President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is “far from the Mujahideen.” Two Somalis were killed in mortar attacks in Mogadishu. The US Navy captured seven suspected pirates before they could board a freighter.
US Navy arrests pirate suspects in Gulf of Aden
Four Somalis, including a Shabaab leader, were killed in fighting in Galgadud. The mayor of Mogadishu ordered police and army units to leave the city. The leader of the Abubakar As Saddique mosque in Minneapolis denied being involved with the disappearance of Somali-American men who have joined Shabaab.
Government forces and Shabaab fighters clashed in Hudur; three were killed. President Sharif said he was ready to practice sharia law. Reports indicate Sharif met with Shabaab spokesman Muktar Robow. Uganda and Burundi are expected to send additional soldiers to Somalia.
Recruited for jihad? What happened to Mustafa Ali?
President Ahmed is meeting with Islamic clerics with connections to the Islamist insurgents. The powerful Hawiye clan complained about anti-government statements from the newly formed Hizbal Islam. Shabaab forces attacked African Union troops in Mogadishu. Fromer Somali officials are requesting asylum in Kenya.
Islamists want to keep fighting against the new government
Four Islamist groups merged and vowed to fight President Sharif’s government. The group is called Hisbi Islam, or Islamic Party, and consists of Hassan Dahir Aweys ARS-Eritrea faction; Jabhatul Islamiya (“Islamic Front”); Mu™askar Ras Kamboni; and Anole. The Ukrainian ship laden with weapons has been freed by Somali pirates.
What does Ethiopia’s withdrawal mean for Somalia’s future?
The UN envoy to Somalia has said reports of a civilian massacre by African Union troops in Mogadishu were manufactured. President Sharif has begun the process of selecting a prime minister. Thousands of Somalis are fleeing to Ethiopia. The director of Horn Afrik Radio in Mogadishu was murdered.
Shabaab has declared jihad on the new Somali government. President Sharif denied reports he has requested foreign military aid. Ethiopia denied that its forces re-entered Somalia.
President Sharif said Somali groups should “unify our ranks and confront those who commit violence.” The Islamic Courts Union welcomed the election of Sharif, their former leader. Shabaab’s branch in Kismayo rejected Sharif’s election. Ethiopian troops re-entered Somalia and took control of a crossroads in Hiran province.
Former Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was elected president by the newly expanded parliament. Sharif led the Islamic Courts conquest of southern Somalia in 2006. The United States welcomed victory and “looks forward to cooperating with President Sharif.”