Life
in Mogadishu has
been marked by
frequent
anti-government protests in
recent days
[Reuters]
Armed
men have attacked Ethiopian soldiers in
Somalia'scapital
Mogadishu, residents said.
Hundreds
of troops loyal to the Somali transitional
government patrolled the
streets on Sunday where a day earlier crowds
had hurled stones and burnt tyres to
demonstrate against the forces that ousted the
Islamic courts.
In
the second day of violence in Mogadishu,
Somali fighters opened fire on Ethiopian
forces backing the interim government.
Mohammed
Adow, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the Somali
capital, said: "Gunmen attacked one of
the Ethiopian troop bases in Mogadishu with
machineguns and lobbed grenades.
"The
gunmen, who were said to be in two vehicles,
attacked with machineguns and lobbed grenades
and, according to witnesses, also used
anti-tank missiles.
"Somali
government forces who were guarding the
Ethiopian base engaged the attackers in a gun
battle. No casualties have been reported on
the Ethiopian side.
"A
13-year-old girl is said to have died after
getting caught in the crossfire. And a man is
now recuperating in a Mogadishu hospital after
being injured."
All
this is happening at a time when the Somali
government is trying to establish its rule in
the capital, Adow said, adding that the hand
of "remnants of the [Council of] Islamic
courts is suspected".
Heavy
firing
A
Somali transitional government source said:
"The insurgents came with two vehicles
and opened fire at government forces holding
defences outside a compound where the
Ethiopian soldiers are staying.
"The
Ethiopians were inside. Fighting ensued. Heavy
fire was exchanged, one anti-tank rocket was
launched by the insurgents."
Also
on Sunday, in the south-central town of
Baladweyne, hundreds of poeple took to the
streets demanding that Ethiopian troops free a
military commander detained for refusing to
hand over an Islamic courts member despite a
government amnesty offer to the defeated
movement.
Al
Jazeera's Adow said the clashes resulted in
the death of one person and injuries to
several.
Nairobi
meeting
The
violence came after Ali Mohamed Gedi, prime
minister of the Somali transitional
government, and Jendayi Frazer, Washington's
most senior diplomat for Africa, met in the
Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Sunday.
Jamae
Nur Ahmed, another Al Jazeera correspondent in
Mogadishu, said Frazer cancelled a planned
visit to the Somali capital owing to
the precarious security situation.
Frazer
flew directly to Nairobi to meet Gedi and
representatives of the civil society, Jamae
Nur Ahmed, said.
Somali
policemen patrolling the streets
of
Mogadishu, the once lawless capital
[Reuters]
The
government, which was confined to the
provincial town Baidoa, now wants to install
itself in Mogadishu.
Frazer
has been travelling around the region as
Western and African diplomats discuss an
African peacekeeping force for Somalia after
two weeks of war during which Ethiopian and
government troops forced out the Council of
Islamic courts, which had captured much of the
south.
Frazer
said Washington was donating $16m to help fund
the proposed force and she has called for
dialogue between Somali groups, including
"remnants" of the Islamic courts
movement.
After
meeting Frazer, Gedi said: "We are going
to work together for the stabilisation of
Somalia."
Somali
request
For
his part, Abdullahi Yusuf, the Somali
president, has asked Ethiopia to train Somali
forces, Ethiopian state television said on
Saturday, after he met Meles Zenawi, the
Ethiopian prime minister.
Zenawi
has said Ethiopian soldiers will leave Somalia
within weeks.
In
other news, Abubakr al-Qirbi, the Yemeni
foreign minister, has been quoted as saying
that some Islamic courts leaders had arrived
in Yemen, creating an opportunity for talks
with Somalia's government.
