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Mogadishu - Calm has returned to the Somali capital Mogadishu, as people return to their homes after fleeing four days of heavy fighting between a group calling itself Alliance for Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism and the city's hardline Islamic Court Militias.
Following the fighting, the worst in recent years, the two sides are currently in talks aimed at agreeing a ceasefire.
Yet, many Somalis say that the continuing battle for control of Mogadishu has revealed the Islamic courts to be an increasingly influential power base in a city dominated by rival warlords.
The warlords-turned-politicians formed the new alliance to curb the growing power of the brutal, but efficient courts; which are currently the only functioning law enforcement agency in the war- scarred city, and are widely supported by a population tired of conflict.
One of the main leaders of the Alliance, Mohammed Qanyare Afrah, who is also a government minister in the transitional government, has accused the courts of having links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, and has threatened to capture and hand over the court leaders to US forces.
The sharia courts' union is led by a charismatic 45-year-old imam, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed Siyar, a hardliner who was largely unknown in Somali politics until his election to the head of the courts union.
Some of the courts' leaders are former members of al-Ittihad al- Islami, a militant Islamist organization that is listed by the United States as a terrorist organization.
Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweis, a former al-Ittihad leader, and currently a leader of the Sharia courts union, has repeatedly denied any al-Qaeda link, but makes no secret of the court's ambition to install Islamic rule in Somalia.
Some community leaders told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that while there are militant Islamist leaders within the courts' leadership, they fear that Somalis will baulk at any hint of foreign intervention in its religious affairs.
The courts first emerged in the southern part of the city in 1992 as the Islamic disciplinary unit that amputated the right hand of a 20-year-old youth accused of stealing.
It has since steadily rose in prominence and power, with its brand of rough justice respected by many locals who say it does not discriminate between social status and clan affiliation.
The courts' militia of about 1,500 members are reportedly well armed, more disciplined than other militias, and their numbers are periodically bolstered by fighters of warlords who agree with the courts' faith-based political agenda.
Last year the courts raided film dubbing studios, after banning the watching of movies during the holy month of Ramadan, calling them immoral. Mogadishu has a thriving business of more than 800 video kiosks where the city's residents can watch mainly action flicks for a small fee.
Meanwhile, rival factions of President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed's transitional government are preparing for the first parliamentary session on Somali soil since the divided administration was formed in Nairobi, Kenya in 2004.
It is widely expected that the emergence of the Islamic courts as a political and military force will be high on the agenda at Sunday's scheduled meeting, where all 270 legislators are expected to convene together with representatives from the international community.
The row between the president, interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi and parliament speaker Sharif Hassan has paralysed the fledgling administration, prompting two rival government bases - one in Mogadishu led by Hassan, and one in Jowhar, 90 kilometres from the capital, where President Ahmed has been holed up.
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Writer Profile
ABUKAR ALBADRI
My Personal Identity:
I am Abukar Albadri; I am a Somali citizen. I live in Mogadishu at this moment, but was born in Hudur, the City of Bakol Region of Somalia, 450 Kms from west of the Capital City. I am 27 years old.
Educational Background:
I am Bachelor's Degree of Journalism holder; I gained the Certificate from the Indian Ocean University in Mogadishu.
Job:
Professionally, I am Journalist; I work for the Spanish News Agency (EFE) as their Somali reporter.
I am member of the National Press freedom Committee, and a member of the Somali Journalists Society. I am a member of the Board of Directors.
Besides that, I am Youth Rights Activist; I was working for Youth Advocacy in Somalia since 1996, when The ELMAN PEACE CENTRES in Mogadishu trained me in Youth Leadership and Organizational Development.
Now, I am the chairman of GREEN LEAF FOR DEMOCRACY (GLED Somalia), the wider and broader youth-led organization in Somalia, an organization that supports youth organizations to succeed in implementing their visions.
Since The love affectionate affected me in 2001 I started to be part of the poetry world and created many poems in Somali language and many others in English and Arabic.
Projects:
GLED is running small projects.
1. Vocational Training: GLED is running three centres intended to provide skills to the youth, especially those rehabilitated from the Militias.
2. ICT: GLED runs an ICT centre in Mogadishu, but the project didn't succeed in getting enough funds to cover all their ICT needs. However, it's going very well.
3. Peace education: Peace education program through Media.
4. Community safety Program: GLED runs a Community safety campaign as part of the ControlArms Campaign for the UN PoA. GLED in Collaboration with International Action Network on Small arms (IANSA), Amnesty international and Oxfam is running the Million Faces Petition and the Lobby for the Arms Trade Treaty (to be Ratified as Constitutional in Somalia).
5. Messenger for Peace: GLED Somalia Runs a Bimonthly bulletin called the Messenger for Peace and it published an issue about social security and community development.
6. Media and HIV/Aids Project: GLED is running a one year project for the media and HIV/Aids Reporting; 30 Journalists were trained to report on HIV/Aids.
Programs attended as a volunteer:
From 2002 – 2005 I used to organize events on Global Youth Service day, I was organizing the Youth to do voluntary Jobs for the community.
GYSD in 2005, I organized an event in which the Students in Mogadishu planted 2000 trees in the schools and public places to show the people the importance of the environment.
From 2003 – 2004 I was a Volunteer Teacher for UNICEF, and taught literacy lessons to youth over 18 as NFE (non formal education).
Now I am a Community Psychosocial Helper, and am expecting to start Psychosocial training for the Youth organization in 2006; UNICEF Somalia will support that Project.
I ran the Global Week of Action against Small arms in June 2005 as the national coalition Team leader.
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