Thousands of refugees flee fighting in Somalia

The UN says more than 100,000 have now been displaced. Two Islamist militias may have joined forces for a new offensive.

By David Montero

posted June 10, 2009 at 8:32 am EST

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

As violence in Somalia creates a staggering wave of refugees, the United Nations has warned that factions on both sides of the fight – Islamist rebels and pro-government militias – are committing atrocities against innocent civilians.

Cycles of violence have shaped Somalia's history for the past two decades. A particularly devastating one has flared in the past month. On May 7, an Al Qaeda-linked group called Al Shabab, which is fighting for an Islamic state, began a major offensive to oust the moderate government from power.

That government's allies include about 4,000 African Union peacekeepers, who have proven ineffective in stemming the violence. Fighting has torn apart the countryside, and increasingly focused on the capital, Mogadishu, one of the last bastions of government power.

The United Nations now says that more than 100,000 people have been displaced, hundreds killed, and atrocities committed on both sides, including shelling civilian homes. An increasing swirl of illegal weapons, meanwhile, looks set to fuel the violence for a long time to come.

According to Voice of America, the tide of refugees out of Mogadishu is "the most concentrated displacement of civilians the city has seen in years."

"It is certainly the highest we have seen in Somalia for many, many years," [UNICEF's acting representative for Somalia, Hannan] Suleiman said. "We have not seen this number of people in such a short period of time being displaced."

As the refugees flee, the UN warns they are subjected to atrocities by both sides, according to Agence France-Presse.

"The manner in which civilians are being victimised by this conflict is unacceptable," said William Spindler, spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Most of the displaced are women and children, said Spindler, adding that there have been reports of rape and sexual exploitation even in places where they have sought refuge.

This last wave of violence does not appear likely to abate any time soon. In a move that could have troubling repercussions, two Islamist factions appear to be uniting under one front to attack the country's Western-backed government, according to a report by the Associated Press published by Somaliland Press, an independent news site based in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Militiamen loyal to Islamic Party leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys have been fighting side-by-side in recent weeks with al-Shabab, an extremist Islamist group considered by the U.S. State Department to be a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaida. Al-Shabab denies that.

"Talks to unite al-Shabab and the Islamic Party are at an advanced stage," Aweys told The Associated Press by telephone in his first interview since becoming the Islamic Party leader May 27.

As Islamist forces unite, they are also preparing for a "big push" into the country's center, Somaliland Press adds:

Groups that were involved in recent fighting in Galgaduud Region [central Somalia], Al-Shabab and Hisb Al-Islam on one side and Ahlu Sunna wal Jama'a forces are said to be preparing for a major battle in the Region as both sides rearm and mobilise their forces.

Hisb Al-Islam forces from Mogadishu have arrived in Galgaduud Region and are planning to launch a major offensive in the region together with their colleagues who have been fighting Ahlu Sunna wal Jama'a forces in the past few days.

In another troubling development, Reuters reports that illegal weapons are pouring into Somalia from around the world, despite a UN arms embargo in Somalia.

Weapons are captured, sold and recycled constantly between both sides, experts say. Many arms have come from Ethiopian soldiers who intervened in Somalia between 2006 and early 2009.

African Union peacekeepers have been accused of trafficking arms, and regional bodies say Eritrea – among others – is funneling weapons toward the rebels.

Weapons are also said to pour across the porous borders of Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia, arriving by plane and through seas infested by pirates who are themselves armed to the teeth.

As fighting escalates, world leaders are expected to convene in Rome this week to discuss how to stabilize Somalia, reports China's Xinhua news agency.

A statement from UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said representatives from more than 35 countries and international organizations are expected to attend the 15th meeting of the International Contact Group to be held from June 9-10.

The meeting will include discussions on the political, security, humanitarian and development situation. Piracy will be high on the agenda. Somalia's Prime Minister will attend the meeting.