Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding

www.ccun.org

www.aljazeerah.info

News, December 2008

 

Al-Jazeerah History

Archives 

Mission & Name  

Conflict Terminology  

Editorials

Gaza Holocaust  

Gulf War  

Isdood 

Islam  

News  

News Photos  

Opinion Editorials

US Foreign Policy (Dr. El-Najjar's Articles)  

www.aljazeerah.info

 

 

 

Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 
15 Somali Civilians Killed by Ethiopian Occupation Forces Shelling of a Mogadishu Market

Somalia: Ethiopian Army Shelling Kills 15 Civilians in Mogadishu

Garowe, 5 December 2008

Ethiopian occupation troops in Somalia's capital Mogadishu responded with heavy firepower after an alleged  attack on army positions by Somali resistance fighters on Friday, Radio Garowe reported.

At least 15 civilians were killed and 20 others wounded at Mogadishu's main livestock market where "many shells" hit, according to witnesses.

"I saw five dead women at the market," said a witness who did not want his name in print.

The Ethiopian occupation army shells were preceded by a guerrilla attack staged by Somali resistance fighters, but locals said the actual fighting lasted for brief minutes.

The Ethiopia occupation army did not speak publicly about Friday's shelling of civilian areas. The Ethiopian occupation army has been accused of committing war crimes since invading Somalia two years ago.

The shelling comes on the heels of a controversial ceasefire agreement between the Somali interim government and an Somali opposition, although that ceasefire has been violated repeatedly by both sides of the conflict.

Somalia was plunged into chaos in 1991 when the country's last effective ruler, Gen. Siad Barre, was forced to flee Mogadishu by clan warlords.

The warlords divided Somalia into clan-based fiefdoms until Islamists rose to power in mid-2006, chasing away Mogadishu's destructive warlords.

Ethiopian-backed Somali government troops have been battling a Somali resistance movement for the past two years, with a local human rights group estimating that nearly 10,000 people have been killed so far.

Witnesses: Somalia fighting kills 12, wounds 20

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP, World News) —

December 6, 2008

 

Witnesses say mortar shells have rained down on homes and a small market in Somalia's capital, killing 12 people and wounding 20.

Local resident Abdi Wali says Friday's fighting started after an attack by Somali resistance fighters on an Ethiopian occupation forces military base. He says he saw 12 corpses after shells landed on the market and a residential area.

A doctor at Daynile Hospital says about 20 wounded people, including women and children, have been admitted there.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a dictatorship and then turned on one another.

The transitional government, formed in 2004, relies on Ethiopian occupation troops for protection, but Somali resistance fighters have gained steady power and launch near-daily attacks.



Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

 

 

 

 

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent ccun.org.

editor@ccun.org