Somalia's prime minister signed a preliminary power-sharing agreement on Monday with the chairman of a local militia, paving the way for cooperation ahead of the government's planned offensive against al Qaeda-linked militants there.
Representatives from the militia, Ahlu Sunna wal Jama'a, and the Somali government said the group would be given an unspecified number of ministries. The two groups said they would reconvene in a few days to finalize details. While the group has signed cooperation pacts before, this is the first accord that would incorporate the militia into the government.
The new deal is the first such pact with ...
Somali government and moderate Islamists agree to combine forces
Addis Ababa -Somalia's government and a moderate Islamist group on Monday signed an agreement to integrate their forces in the fight against extremist insurgents. Somalia's weak government, propped up by African Union peacekeepers, has been struggling to contain an insurgency that exploded in early 2007, and is mainly confined to small pockets of the capital Mogadishu. Moderate Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a has opposed main insurgent group al-Shabaab, which has links to al-Qaeda, and its allies Hizbul Islam, but had yet to sign a formal agreement with the government. "This agreement is designed to safeguard the people of Somalia and the reputation of the faith of Islam," Sheikh Mahmoud Sheikh Hassan, the group's spiritual leader, said in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa after signing the deal. Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, prime minister of Somalia's transitional federal government, and Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union's commission, both hailed the pact. The agreement comes as the weak Western-backed government plans to launch a major offensive and regain control of Mogadishu. Fighting has intensified in advance of the expected surge, and more than 30,000 people have fled the capital since early February to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Somalia has been embroiled in chaos since the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre January 26, 1991. President of the Somali Republic
. More than 20,000 people have died in the current insurgency, which kicked off in early 2007 after Ethiopian forces invaded to oust an Islamist regime that ruled for six months in 2006. The insurgents control much of south and central Somalia.
. More than 20,000 people have died in the current insurgency, which kicked off in early 2007 after Ethiopian forces invaded to oust an Islamist regime that ruled for six months in 2006. The insurgents control much of south and central Somalia.
| Somali Sufi group joins government to fight al-Shabab |
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