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African Union troops harming Somali civilians

21 July 2010 23:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. African Union peacekeepers are indiscriminately shelling residential areas of Somalia’s capital, APA reports quoting â€œAssociated Pressâ€.
The AU blamed the deaths on insurgents who attack troops.
Civilians have suffered through nearly two decades of violent chaos in Somalia’s capital since the country’s last government was overthrown in 1991.
An al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group said last week it had carried out twin bombings in Uganda because of the high number of civilian deaths caused by African Union peacekeepers in Somalia. The July 11 attacks killed 76 people in Uganda â€” one of two African countries sending troops to the AU force known as AMISOM.
"We judge with concern that AMISOM, in particular AMISOM (headquarters), may not be adequately giving the issue of indiscriminate shelling of civilians the urgent attention it deserves," said a weekly report called "AMISOM Confidential" issued in May with analysis from the AU mission.
The report, which is stamped "Internal Use Only," said that if indiscriminate shelling continues AMISOM will lose the support of the Somali population. A similar report in June said that AMISOM "continues to underestimate the importance of being seen to address this critical issue."
AMISOM â€” the African Union Mission in Somalia â€” has long been criticized by human rights groups for civilian deaths. But internal reports seen by AP show that AMISOM itself is well aware of the problem. A report in April also referred to civilian casualties, indicating the AU had identified the problem over the span of at least three months.
A spokesman for the AU force, Maj. Barigye Bahoku, denied Wednesday that AU forces kill civilians, saying such deaths are caused by the extremists who attacks government and AU troops.
"Too many civilians are caught in the crossfire but the responsibility for this lies on the destructive extremists who unleash reckless attacks on (government) and AMISOM forces," Bahoku said.
Two U.N. agencies had raised concerns about civilian deaths, but the internal report said that AMISOM had failed to give "official or unofficial explanation" of the military actions.
Somalia’s former state minister for defense, meanwhile, told the AP that he believes the AU peacekeepers are committing atrocities in Mogadishu. Yusuf Mohamed Siyad, said he once witnessed more than 60 artillery shells, missiles and mortars fired into residential areas and Mogadishu’s Bakara market in response to three incoming mortars fired by militants.
Siyad resigned from his position last month because he said the government had failed to deliver either security or services to the public.
Human Rights Watch said in a report in April that major parties to the conflict have carried out "numerous indiscriminate attacks and other violations of international humanitarian law (the laws of war) with terrible consequences for the civilian population."
The report accused Somalia’s government and African peacekeepers of sending mortar rounds into the general area they were fired from or "simply bombarding areas such as Bakara market that are opposition strongholds."
"Such attacks, while of limited military value, cause considerable loss of civilian life and property damage," Human Rights Watch said.
Random shelling is a near-daily occurrence in Mogadishu, especially so when Islamists fire mortars toward the hilltop presidential palace in Somalia’s capital.
Earlier this month, after an artillery shell killed families who sought shelter in a building in a popular market, the head of Mogadishu’s ambulance service said he believed it was more than Islamist militants could have fired.
"It was so strong that it obliterated the building," Ali Muse said. "The scene was scary. Human flesh was scattered everywhere."
Al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility for the Uganda attacks, has long threatened to strike outside of Somalia’s borders, but the recent bombings are the first time the group has done so. "We warned Uganda not to deploy troops to Somalia; they ignored us," said Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, al-Shabab’s spokesman. "We warned them to stop massacring our people, and they ignored that. The explosions in Kampala were only a minor message to them. ... We will target them everywhere if Uganda does not withdraw from our land."
Rage said a second country with peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu â€” Burundi â€” could soon face attacks.