Islamists controlling much of southern Somalia have broken up a meeting of religious leaders in the capital, further asserting their authority in the lawless nation. Officials with the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS) said the conference of scholars and peace activists from al-Islah group in a Mogadishu hotel was illegal as it had not been approved.Speaking after heavily armed men broke up the meeting on Thursday, a SICS spokesman said the meeting was not licensed and the organisers did not have permission to hold it. Abdul Karim Ali Muddey said: "We have to be a community ruled by laws. People must seek permission to have a meeting, and we will licence it as long as the forum is not a threat to public safety or Islamic teachings."
Members of al-Islah, a charity that operates Muslim clinics and schools throughout Somalia, confirmed that the meeting had been disbanded but declined to discuss the matter further. The agenda for the conference was not clear, but the group has been pushing for a resumption of dialogue between the Islamists and Somalia's increasingly weak and marginalised transitional government.