Somalia targets Islamists' escape
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There has been no formal response, but a large convoy of armoured vehicles was seen heading towards the Somali border in the western Kenyan town of Garissa. The appeal came after the Islamists were driven from their last stronghold, the southern port of Kismayo. The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) militia abandoned the town overnight. Local militias briefly took control, before a combined Somali-Ethiopian force entered the port city to what local correspondents say was a big welcome. Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi has urged the African Union (AU) to send peacekeepers and offered an amnesty to Islamist fighters. 'Misled' The Islamists had swept through Somalia last year, and their retreat from Kismayo is seen as a major reversal.
The UIC had withdrawn to Kismayo on Thursday, after abandoning the capital Mogadishu. Mr Ghedi offered an amnesty to Islamist fighters who handed over their weapons and gave them three days to comply, saying they had been "misled by international terrorists". However he stressed that there would be no amnesty for leaders of the UIC. The BBC's Karen Allen in Nairobi, Kenya, says this is far from the end of the story, as the Islamists have vowed to fight back. The presence of Ethiopian troops on Somali soil could damage the government's attempts to win widespread support, our correspondent says. The prime minister also called on the AU to help stabilise the country. "We would like the military observers and peacekeepers to come in to help us as soon as possible," he told reporters. Talks rejected Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has called for a summit of East African countries to discuss the situation. An Islamic commander, Sheikh Yaqub Ishak, confirmed his forces had left Kismayo, but said they would not "stop fighting the Ethiopian invader".
Ethiopian troops officially entered Somalia on 24 December, joining fighters loyal to Somalia's interim government, to repel an Islamist assault on the government stronghold of Baidoa. Ethiopia accuses the UIC of harbouring al-Qaeda militants. This is denied by the militia. The UIC assumed control of the capital in June, driving warlords out and rapidly extending its influence to much of central and southern Somalia. Some analysts say the UIC's popularity stemmed from its ability to transcend the clan enmities that have bedevilled Somalia since the overthrow of former President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. The UN estimates that about 30,000 people have been displaced during the fighting, and casualties have been high. |
