Southern town seized by opposition

The regional capital of Gedo region, Garbaharey, southwest Somalia, has been captured by militia opposed to the interim government in Mogadishu. Abdirihman Nur Dinaari, Director of information of the interim government in Mogadishu confirmed to IRIN that the town had been taken, and said one person was killed in the attack and three wounded.

Garbahaarey, 400 km southwest of Mogadishu, changed hands on Monday when militia attacked and the forces defending it withdrew, Dinaari told IRIN. He accused the Ethiopian government of providing support for the faction that led the attack.

The Ethiopian government has consistently denied any military invovlement in Somalia. Mengistu Ayalew, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Embassy in Nairobi, told IRIN in response to persistant allegations of Ethiopian involvement that “the Ethiopian military presence in Somalia is imaginary - we are not there, and we do not commit atrocities”.

But Dinaari insisted that “as far as we are concerned Garbaharey is in the hands of the Ethiopian military”. The Minster of Transport Abdi Guleed and members of parliament from the area were visiting and holding consultations with elders when the attack took place. The official said all government representatives fled to safety. “All our people are accounted for, including the minster and the members of parliament - they are in Eil Ad town” he told IRIN. Eil Ad is 60 km south of Garbahaarey.

Dinaari said the attacking militia were led by Colonel Abdrisaak Isak Bihi, who heads a faction of the Somali National Front (SNF), which operates in the south. The SNF is an established Marehan-based faction, but has recently split into pro-government and anti-government groups, Somali political sources said. It operates in Gedo region in the southwest Somalia, and in the northwest districts of Abud Waq and Blanbale, Galgaduud region, central Somalia. The SNF splinter group in Gedo has declared itself opposed to the TNG.