Mogadishu, 23 August (AKI) - Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts aiming to consolidate its grip on the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has appointed 50 Sharia judges to administer justice in the city following the tenets of the Koran. The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) which earlier this year wrested control of Mogadishu from a coalition of Washington-backed warlords, has vowed to install Islamic Sharia law througout the Horn of Africa country. | "One turban to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them...." |
In an apparent overture to Somalia's transitional government, which is based in the city of Baidoa, the UIC has proposed the convening of a "national reconcialiation assembly," to bring together all of Somalia's warring factions.
The transitional government of Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ged has rejected the proposal, insisting that peace negotiations should resume in the Sudanese capital Khartoum under the auspices of the African Union. The talks were suspended earlier this month after a dispute withing the transitional government over the deployment of Ethiopian troops in Baidoa.
Tensions remain high in Somalia with members of an armed faction that controls the city of Galkaciyo arresting a group of 23 men on suspicion of being agents of the Union of Islamic Courts. The men were carrying assault rifles and bombs when they were blocked. | Yeah, that sounds like the holy men of the ROP |
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