Their capital unified for the first time in a decade, residents of Mogadishu walked streets free of gunmen and roadblocks to attend Friday prayers led by newly victorious Islamic militants.
Many wondered if peace can last in the hands of radicals accused of links to al-Qaida. But the success of the Islamic Courts Union has forced the United States and other world powers to take notice, amid concerns that radical Islam could be taking hold in the Horn of Africa. "We are supporting the Islamic Courts because these unarmed civilians have to support who is more powerful," Osman Ali Kulmiye said after attending prayers in Mogadishu.
On Friday, clan fighters angered by attempts to disarm members and dismantle the checkpoints they use to extort road tolls attacked the presidential compound in Baidoa, setting off a firefight that killed 10. One government official was wounded; other victims were believed to be clan members.
The relative peace in Mogadishu and violence in Baidoa shed light on the situation in Somalia, said Ted Dagne, an Africa specialist at the Congressional Research Service. "What it does tell us about this whole thing for the first time is that at least you have one group, whether or not that group is legitimate, that does control Mogadishu," he said.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said this week that the militia's aim "is to try to lay the foundations for some institutions in Somalia that might form the basis for a better and more peaceful, secure Somalia where the rule of law is important."
Still, John Prendergast, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group, said U.S. goals in Somalia are in disarray. "At this point it's ground zero for U.S. policy in Somalia," he said. "We just have absolutely no policy and no access to any of the authorities on the ground. It's almost a stunning failure across the board of everything the U.S. was trying to do."
| Keep wringing your hands, John, and you'll need lotion. |
Islamic clerics avoided talking politics during Friday's prayers but instead focused on broad religious teachings. The courts union is divided between moderates and extremists from different clans, so a consensus about the future of governing Somalia is not imminent.
The union started negotiations Thursday with the interim government, which has ruled out establishing an Islamic state. However, Sheik Salad Ilmi, a member of the Islamic militia, said the courts union wants strict Islamic law. "We have had an ideology to rule the country with Islamic law and that was the aim we dedicated ourselves to when we fought the warlords," he said. "If this changes and we are coerced into a secular constitution, maybe it means we were misguided by our clerics." |