The transitional administration could never establish itself in Mogadishu, as the city suffered the turf wars and bloody violence of rival warlords. Islamic courts cleaned up the southern somalia. By December 4 Baidoa was effectively encircled. The phrase amounts to an assertion of sovereignty, not only over the lands the UIC controls, but over the northern autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland as well. It is strange that he would refer to the organization already as the 'Islamic Republic of Somalia', a title which if adopted by the organization could alienate potential allies immediately by its implicit assertion of sovereignty; but, at a time of early planning, one might aim high, and later in public use more diplomatic language. If 'Somalia' or 'Mogadishu' resonates in the Western mind, it's probably due to the US propaganda movie 'Black Hawk Down', or news reports of the 1992-1995 UN-sanctioned US intervention. The final showdown is taking place in Somalia between the Islamic Courts Union, backed by al Qaeda, and the Transitional Federal Government, backed by Ethiopia. One can make all manner of speculations: the TFG was protecting its source; the document was not captured until then; the TFG started circulating it as a last desperate measure to embarrass the UIC as its position crumbled; the particular documents chosen to circulate internationally may be somewhat capricious. Numerous defections of enemy troops to the UIC have been reported throughout their advances; they are certainly seen as more legitimate than the warlords in the TFG. Citizens can be expected to appreciate the work of any organization which ends years of violence and establishes peaceful social relations. Somalia will soon be transformed, either into an Iranian-style Islamic republic or a reviled Ethiopian quisling, cursed with mujahideen and proxy wars. Ethiopian forces have also taken Adado, a “town in central Somalia … December 23, 2006. Part of Barre's success lay in his ability to unite the Somali clans. The membership and leadership of the Courts both contain a spectrum of Islamic thought, from liberal to Wahhabist. This support, it seems, has not extended to the provision of official military personnel, although this is not clear. There is an imminent risk of wider regional war; there is currently covert involvement by a number of other neighboring countries and overt involvement by the African Union (AU), the UN and the US. Such oil rights would have to be renegotiated if the UIC controlled Somalia. [4], On 15 July 2006, the Islamic Courts Union reopened Mogadishu International Airport, which had been closed since the withdrawal of the international forces in 1995. In a secret document he might be prepared to advocate less scrupulous tactics, such as assassinations and cooperation with criminals: note that the UIC itself would not be performing the assassinations, and could achieve deniability through this strategy. During a meeting of leaders and elders from Aidid's clan, discussing a peace agreement with the UN, the US received “erroneous intelligence” that Aidid was planning attacks, and ordered that it be bombed. Originally dealing with local issues such as petty crime and business disputes, they expanded to fill a vacuum in education, health care and policing. They also cite air travel operation without any government regulation. Or is it the next Afghanistan? In 1998 the northern region of Puntland declared autonomy, asserting that it will govern itself until Somalia has a functioning government, which it will then rejoin. Around 2000, the courts first united to form what would be called the ICU. The heading itself is meaningful: the phrase 'Islamic Republic of Somalia' is very rarely used to refer to the UIC. Following the brutal murders of Pakistani UN troops by the militia of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, US-led UN forces soon abandoned neutrality and the mission, rather than establishing a stable, impartial, transitional order, became a war against Aidid. The inclusion of Somaliland and Puntland is made clear by reference to 'all Somalia regions' and further within the text, which calls for the opening of Islamic courts in all districts of Puntland and Somaliland. If the document is genuine, there is still the question why it was not released to the Chinese until mid October 2006. We also advise you to read our tips for sources before submitting. And what is likely to happen if they gain control of the country? She lived alone in a rooming house, working as a cashier in a local grocery … Baidoa is not the Somali capital (Mogadishu), which was taken by the UIC in July. Somali society is clan-based and the clan always holds a Somali's first political loyalty. The following is the address of our secure site where you can anonymously upload your documents to WikiLeaks editors. Somalia's Islamic courts are denouncing warnings by the United States that they may be planning suicide attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia. As the UIC has taken further control of the country, it has imposed additional elements of governmental power. The colonial situation persisted through World War II. But now the Islamic courts are poised to take Baidoa. The wounds of warlord lawlessness barely dried during the fearfully incompetent 1992-1995 UN-sanctioned US intervention. Perhaps the largest involvement is that of Somalia's western neighbor Ethiopia. Although the UIC's expansionist ambitions are now quite clear, Somaliland and Puntland might find such an apparent assertion of sovereignty alarming and certainly would have in November 2005.[11]. [13], In response to the TFG's decision to shut down Radio HornAfrik (which broadcast BBC Somali Service), Radio Shabelle and Holy Koran Radio the United States warned that the combination of arrests and media blockages could undermine any efforts at reconciliation. If you are a high-risk source and the computer you prepared your submission on, or uploaded it from, could subsequently be audited in an investigation, we recommend that you format and dispose of the computer hard drive and any other storage media you used. Would Aweys write such a document? It was revived in 2004 by Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who was subsequently elected as chairman of the ICU. Somalis were regularly lured and coerced into fratricide. How did the UN find itself in this situation? Somalia the US & the Islamic Courts Union. The Preliminary delegate coming to Beijing for the meeting consist of: 1-Hon. The Courage Foundation is an international organisation dedicated to the protection of journalistic sources. (Invitation letters, tickets, and hotel arranged already). Perhaps there's an anarcho-capitalist utopia, but Somalia is not the model.[5]. A top Islamic militia leader on Thursday sought support from Somali clan elders for the introduction of Sharia law... Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images It was corrupt and dependent on foreign aid, which was often diverted to projects of political largess and self-aggrandizement rather than social welfare. No apology was given; no US or UN military leader was brought to justice. The warlords fled, and suffered defeat upon defeat. The situation is far more complicated and interesting than any simplistic reading will imply. Is Somalia the next Iran? In particular, hard drives retain data after formatting which may be visible to a digital forensics team and flash media (USB sticks, memory cards and SSD drives) retain data even after a secure erasure. Life goes on. The transitional administration struggles to survive, with virtually no military force of its own, lacking authority anywhere else in the country, propped up by Ethiopian troops, and backed diplomatically by UN resolutions and US threats. Could there be a Somali oil rights for Chinese arms swap? Oct 3: Final edits to the Aweys document English translation. But we can assess the plausibility of the document being genuine, or a forgery, based on its content. Arrivals of thousands of foreign Islamic fighters have also been reported, especially in recent weeks, although it is difficult to see how this observation could be made with any reliability.[10]. SOMALIA: Islamic Courts warn of possible renewal of civil war. Or is it a clever smear by US intelligence, designed to discredit the Union, fracture Somali alliances and manipulate China? Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. The US has repeatedly claimed that terrorists in Somalia are planning suicide attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia, and repeatedly denounced the UIC as harboring al-Qaeda terrorists. To that end it does't in anyway represent the opinion of the Union . It was revived in 2004 by Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who was subsequently elected as chairman of the ICU. As the UIC took control of Mogadishu, the militias fighting against them were led by warlords who were ministers in the TFG, fighting in a 'private' capacity. Hardline elements of the UIC have made major impingements on civil liberties, public expression and entertainment already, although we must be careful - the UIC's federalist-clan structure makes it hard to draw conclusions from examples. They have endured the ravings, the egos, the bullying and the brutality of the warlords; and as the warlords have been banished from ever larger parts of the country by the Union of Islamic Courts, they have applauded, if nothing else, their newfound ability to go about their lives unhindered. The situation was sufficiently severe that they accused TFG, Ethiopia, United States and the Kenya of operating a joint programme of secret detention. UN troops were withdrawn in short order, leaving Somali society further exposed. What hope is there for Somalia's future? Mogadishu was too dangerous for the militarily weak transitional administration, and Baidoa was chosen as the temporary seat of government instead. He fought and was decorated in the 1977 Ogaden war against Ethiopia, and is regarded as the military genius behind the Islamic Courts' recent successes. [5], The Islamic Courts Union organized a clean-up campaign for the streets of Mogadishu on 20 July 2006. The 'Black Hawk Down' situation soon followed. On December 12, the UIC issued an ultimatum to Ethiopian forces in Baidoa to leave; that ultimatum expired on December 19, and heavy fighting continues, including aerial bombing by Ethiopian forces. Tails will require you to have either a USB stick or a DVD at least 4GB big and a laptop or desktop computer. Its purported secrecy is underscored by its final directive: whosoever leaks this information and is found guilty should be shot. [10]. http://rpzgejae7cxxst5vysqsijblti4duzn3kjsmn43ddi2l3jblhk4a44id.onion (, Copy this address into your Tor browser. Privately soft-spoken and calm, he is a Muslim scholar and lives in a middle class suburb of Mogadishu. Several countries have provided support to the factions in the conflict. Any party in a civil war can be expected to try to spread influence, establish alliances and undermine enemies. The Warlord Alliance was funded by the United States. UN and regional efforts to achieve ceasefires repeatedly failed; attempts to form temporary governments repeatedly failed; attempts to achieve peace repeatedly failed. The Somali conflict is on the agenda. But it is the home of the UN-sponsored transitional federal government (TFG), formed in 2004 in Kenya. The Ethiopian Invasion and Occupation of Somalia continued for a further two years. In 1950, five years after the end of World War II, the UN established a trust territory under Italian control. The US has accused the UIC of planning to establish a Taliban-like state; this has been denied and is unlikely given the existing Somali culture, federalist structure and no significant Arab inflow as occurred in Afghanistan. In timing and outline, the general content of the document is certainly plausible. In particular, you should try to stick to your normal routine and behaviour. If the audience were external, it should have been leaked further and made more use of by the US. The smaller northern populations in Somaliland and Puntland have enjoyed relative stability, while elsewhere factions, militias and warlords have struggled to control territory, people and resources. It is not implausible, and not without precedent: US spooks have a long history of leak fabrication. The first airplane chartered by the Arab League flew from the airport for the first time in 11 years picking up Islamic Courts Union delegates to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. Thursday, June 08, 2006. Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia, Ethiopian Invasion and Occupation of Somalia, Somalia: Reopening of Mogadishu's airport welcomed, "The Rise and Fall of Mogadishu's Islamic Courts", "Efforts by C.I.A. Somalis were subject to one of the worst African dictatorships. Aweys has occasionally used it in local media; others have used it to refer not to the UIC, but to the potential establishment of an Iranian style Islamic state over all of Somalia. It advocates minimizing animosity with religious leaders. If you cannot use Tor, or your submission is very large, or you have specific requirements, WikiLeaks provides several alternative methods. Since the TFG is so militarily weak, it is effectively dependent on Ethiopia, appearing as little more than an Ethiopian puppet. No direct US interests there - what altruism! No activities in Kenya or Tanzania are mentioned, such as those of which the US accuses the UIC. All of these are natural, and perhaps obvious, strategies. We are the global experts in source protection – it is a complex field. In this regard, two bombings have taken place in Somalia this year. Posted in: Foreign Policy, War Terrorism, Africa, International Relations | No comments. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. But this is the extent of advocacy of terroristic activity. The 'killing nuns' accusation apparently refers to the murder of a nun outside a Mogadishu hospital on September 17, swiftly condemned by the UIC, with two arrests made shortly afterwards. Their lands were split along arbitrary lines, with members of the same ethnic group finding themselves separated by imperial borders; as with much of the rest of Africa, they were fought over and treated as pawns in the African edition of “The Great Game”. Nevertheless, many of the bazaars and markets continued to function. The Advance of the Islamic Courts Union is the period in the Somali Civil War that began on May 2006 with the Islamic Courts Union's (ICU) conquest of Mogadishu from the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) and continued with further ICU expansion in the country.