Before offensive, Somali president talks reconciliation
Published: 31 March, 2010
Politics
On a visit to London, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, president of the transitional government in Mogadishu, has been pushing a message of reconstruction and reconciliation with the Islamist insurgent forces which currently control much of the country.
An offensive against the Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam groups which currently control much of Mogadishu is now underway and Mr Ahmed has been lobbying the international community for support ahead of the fighting, and for its immediate aftermath. Speaking to journalists in London, the president explained that the stabilisation strategy is simply to begin to restore services and trust in the government.
Mr Ahmed believes that the international community is supportive, despite concerns that his government has struggled to win back even the capital city from militant groups. He denied reports that US troops were already present in Somalia but suggested that he would welcome American intervention in the form of air support.
The president also spoke about integrating elements of the opposition forces into his government as part of a reconciliation process, including members of the Islamist groups Al-Shabaab and Hizbul-Islam, saying that “the reconciliation is open to all Somalis.” Al-Shabaab has publicly linked itself to the international Al-Qaeda network. However, Mr Ahmed insisted that this reconciliation did not mean that their extreme interpretation of Shariah law would be accepted within his government.
Mr Ahmed is a former commander in the Islamic Courts Union, which briefly held Mogadishu in 2006.
