Bert
06-23-2006, 12:19 PM
A Swedish cameraman has been shot dead during a huge rally in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, held to support Thursday's peace agreement.
A BBC correspondent says a lone gunman shot the Swedish man in the heart, in the middle of a crowd of thousands.
Mogadishu's Islamist leader has condemned the killing as "barbaric".
The peace deal was agreed in Sudan by the interim government and the Union of Islamic Courts, which took control of Mogadishu two weeks ago.
Both sides have agreed to recognise each other and to stop fighting, but some key issues remain unresolved.
It is not clear why the cameraman was targeted but correspondents say it will affect the Islamists' claims to have restored security to Mogadishu, which they seized two weeks ago.
The Islamists' opponents have blamed them for a series of assassinations in recent years.
But Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed vowed to punish those responsible.
"We will take serious action on this matter," he told the AFP news agency.
"Those who did this are not responsible people and they don't represent the people of Mogadishu, the Islamic courts or the Somali people."
Peace deal
The BBC's Hassan Barise in Mogadishu says the Swedish man was shot once with a pistol during a commotion while an Ethiopian flag was set on fire.
The marchers were also protesting against the suggestion that foreign peacekeepers be deployed in Somalia.
Interim President Abdullahi Yusuf wants peacekeepers but the Union of Islamic Courts is strongly opposed - especially to any involvement of troops from Ethiopia, which is seen as being close to Mr Yusuf.
The seven-point deal made no mention of this major disagreement between the two sides.
Another issue not addressed is whether the Islamists will join the interim government.
The Islamic courts' leader has said the movement does not want to establish its own government, but our correspondent says many Somalis feel that it does.
But our correspondent says nobody was expecting a deal after only one day of talks in Sudan.
The two sides also agreed to stop "media campaigns" against each other and to meet again on 15 July, when the outstanding issues may be addressed.
'No extremism'
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir described the accord as "the beginning of the end of conflicts in Somalia."
President Yusuf was in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for the talks but the agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Abdullahi Sheekh Ismail.
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf
President Yusuf only controls a small part of Somalia
Afterwards, he embraced Islamic scholar Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, who led the Union of Islamic Courts team, along with deputy chairman Sheikh Husein Mohamud Jumaale.
Mr Yusuf said: "We have no interest in shedding any blood, and we will seek every possible way to preserve the life of the Somalis.
"This is your chance to end the suffering and start developing. Take my advice, and be aware: war leads nowhere."
Mr Ibrahim moved to calm fears that the Union of Islamic Courts could provide a safe haven for Islamist fighters.
"There's no extremism in Somalia and no terrorist element in Somalia. Anyone who wanted to check this, he can come and see with his own eyes," he said.
There have been fears of conflict between the Islamic courts, which control much of southern Somalia, and the interim government, based in Baidoa, 200km north of the capital, Mogadishu.
These fears increased last weekend after the Islamists said Ethiopian troops had crossed the border, apparently in support of Mr Yusuf's government.
International pressure is mounting for both sides to negotiate a peaceful settlement and to establish Somalia's first effective national government for 15 years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5108958.stm
Some outlets are already suggesting this has something to do with those f**king cartoons; I can honestly say that was not the first thing going through my mind when I read this. It's not unlikely, though.
A BBC correspondent says a lone gunman shot the Swedish man in the heart, in the middle of a crowd of thousands.
Mogadishu's Islamist leader has condemned the killing as "barbaric".
The peace deal was agreed in Sudan by the interim government and the Union of Islamic Courts, which took control of Mogadishu two weeks ago.
Both sides have agreed to recognise each other and to stop fighting, but some key issues remain unresolved.
It is not clear why the cameraman was targeted but correspondents say it will affect the Islamists' claims to have restored security to Mogadishu, which they seized two weeks ago.
The Islamists' opponents have blamed them for a series of assassinations in recent years.
But Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed vowed to punish those responsible.
"We will take serious action on this matter," he told the AFP news agency.
"Those who did this are not responsible people and they don't represent the people of Mogadishu, the Islamic courts or the Somali people."
Peace deal
The BBC's Hassan Barise in Mogadishu says the Swedish man was shot once with a pistol during a commotion while an Ethiopian flag was set on fire.
The marchers were also protesting against the suggestion that foreign peacekeepers be deployed in Somalia.
Interim President Abdullahi Yusuf wants peacekeepers but the Union of Islamic Courts is strongly opposed - especially to any involvement of troops from Ethiopia, which is seen as being close to Mr Yusuf.
The seven-point deal made no mention of this major disagreement between the two sides.
Another issue not addressed is whether the Islamists will join the interim government.
The Islamic courts' leader has said the movement does not want to establish its own government, but our correspondent says many Somalis feel that it does.
But our correspondent says nobody was expecting a deal after only one day of talks in Sudan.
The two sides also agreed to stop "media campaigns" against each other and to meet again on 15 July, when the outstanding issues may be addressed.
'No extremism'
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir described the accord as "the beginning of the end of conflicts in Somalia."
President Yusuf was in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for the talks but the agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Abdullahi Sheekh Ismail.
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf
President Yusuf only controls a small part of Somalia
Afterwards, he embraced Islamic scholar Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, who led the Union of Islamic Courts team, along with deputy chairman Sheikh Husein Mohamud Jumaale.
Mr Yusuf said: "We have no interest in shedding any blood, and we will seek every possible way to preserve the life of the Somalis.
"This is your chance to end the suffering and start developing. Take my advice, and be aware: war leads nowhere."
Mr Ibrahim moved to calm fears that the Union of Islamic Courts could provide a safe haven for Islamist fighters.
"There's no extremism in Somalia and no terrorist element in Somalia. Anyone who wanted to check this, he can come and see with his own eyes," he said.
There have been fears of conflict between the Islamic courts, which control much of southern Somalia, and the interim government, based in Baidoa, 200km north of the capital, Mogadishu.
These fears increased last weekend after the Islamists said Ethiopian troops had crossed the border, apparently in support of Mr Yusuf's government.
International pressure is mounting for both sides to negotiate a peaceful settlement and to establish Somalia's first effective national government for 15 years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5108958.stm
Some outlets are already suggesting this has something to do with those f**king cartoons; I can honestly say that was not the first thing going through my mind when I read this. It's not unlikely, though.