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| Africa Horn |
| Somali president says rebels work for foreign govts |
| 2009-05-12 |
| Somalia's president accused insurgents on Monday of working for foreign governments trying to destabilise his Horn of Africa nation after four days of fighting killed at least 70 people. "We have an Islamic government, but misled Somalis kill innocent people. These guys work for foreign countries that do not want us to be a peaceful nation," President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told reporters in Mogadishu. "I tell them to stop fighting. It is illegal to shed the blood of your innocent brothers." Ahmed - himself a former rebel - did not name any countries, but UN reports have accused Eritrea, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf Arab states of violating an arms embargo on the country. On Monday, sporadic explosions and gunfire rocked some northern districts of the city, and six soldiers died when police fought with troops trying to help some of the insurgents. "We captured several sacks of weapons that some military men were secretly transporting to the opposition," one policeman, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. "They attacked us and we chased them ... six of their dead bodies lie here." he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |