Somalis warily returning to their battered capital

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA —  Somalis who fled the worst fighting this city has seen since the early 1990s have been warily returning, but few here said they believed the transitional government had crushed Islamic militias and ushered in an era of peace.

Mogadishu residents Sunday recounted horrific stories of civilian casualties and massive structural damage during recent shelling by government and allied Ethiopian forces attempting to drive Islamic militants from the capital.

Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi said the troops were searching former strongholds of the Islamic Courts Union and supporting militias of Mogadishu’s dominant Hawiye clan. He called on people to disarm.

Gedi claimed victory over the Islamists on Thursday, and the capital has been calm since Friday. Over the weekend, civilians buried corpses that had lain in the streets for days, and braced for another wave of violence.

“Mogadishu is full of weapons, and the teenagers never knew the last government in 1991, so they won’t obey any administration, only their clan elders,” said Dahir Olad Gesey, 43, a teacher. “I am afraid that Somalia will be like a second Iraq.”

Since the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has endured almost continual anarchy as warlords fought one another for dominance.

Islamic militants filled the void, taking over much of southern Somalia and the capital last year, while the weak and divided transitional government led by Gedi languished in Baidoa, 140 miles northwest of Mogadishu. Set up in 2004, the Gedi administration is the 14th effort to establish a government since 1991. It includes warlords of various clans but has scant popular support.

The Islamic Courts Union established Sharia, or Islamic law, and in some cases banned cinemas and enforced dress codes for women.

Ethiopian offensive

The Ethiopians launched an offensive in December, dislodging the Islamic Courts Union fighters from Mogadishu and allowing the transitional Somalian government to move to the capital for the first time.

The recent shelling of Mogadishu by government and Ethiopian forces heavily damaged houses, hospitals and schools, flattening many buildings.

On the streets of Mogadishu, Ethiopian troops opened fire on civilians, residents said.

Yasin Ibrahim Jesow said he watched as Ethiopian soldiers beckoned a friend of his to approach them, then shot him to death.

“They killed my friend, who obeyed their order,” Jesow said Sunday outside his house. “I ran, and they opened fire and I fell to the ground with the bodies of other people who had been killed in the front-line fighting. I was lying with the dead all night.

“In the early morning I rolled down quietly along the street until I could hide in a nearby alley and escape.”

The United Nations estimates that 350,000 people have fled the capital since February, when fighting intensified. Reports suggest that more than 1,000 people have been killed during that period.

Halima Gulus, 27, said she fled the city with her six children and husband two weeks ago, but her husband and oldest daughter were killed in the street as they ran.

With no food, she walked 19 miles to the town of Afgooye with her surviving five children, she said. Conditions were harsh for refugees, with no shelter and little food or water. She said some were squabbling over the shade of trees.

Luley Hassan, 27, a mother of five, described similar conditions.

“We couldn’t survive outside the capital. We were fed up with diarrhea and lack of food. All my children got very sick, but they are recovering now.... We are happy to see our home again and to feel peace. Without peace, there is no life.”

Hassan said few people trust the transitional government, but added, “A bad government is better than no government at all.”

Public is skeptical

Traders were returning to the central Bakara market Sunday. Shoe salesman Abdi-nor Bufan said it was too early to predict whether the government would be able to control the country and impose peace.

“We don’t know whether the peace will last or not, but we want only to run our businesses safely,” he said. “When the Islamic Courts were in charge of the country, we thought we would enjoy peace forever, but it lasted only six months. Now we have to wait six months to see whether this government will last or not.”

Language teacher Liban Ahmed Qaloaw said he gave peace a slim chance, because the government has been reluctant to include militants of the Islamic Courts Union in a reconciliation process planned for June.

Most Somalis bitterly oppose the Ethiopian military intervention, and are eager to see the soldiers leave the country, he said.

“We have no hope. We are always at war,” Qaloaw said. “As Somali people, we implore the international community to help resolve the crisis in our country.”

Times staff writer Robyn Dixon contributed to this report from Johannesburg, South Africa.