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Somalia 'needs more AU troops' after al-Shabab pullout | Somalia 'needs more AU troops' after al-Shabab pullout |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The UN special envoy to Somalia has appealed for more peacekeepers in the capital, after militant Islamists withdrew from the city. | The UN special envoy to Somalia has appealed for more peacekeepers in the capital, after militant Islamists withdrew from the city. |
Augustine Mahiga said the African Union force in Somalia needed to be strengthened to help the government re-establish authority in Mogadishu. | Augustine Mahiga said the African Union force in Somalia needed to be strengthened to help the government re-establish authority in Mogadishu. |
The government has said it is offering amnesty to fighters from the militant al-Shabab group. | The government has said it is offering amnesty to fighters from the militant al-Shabab group. |
Somalia, hit by 20 years of conflict, is also experiencing a famine. | Somalia, hit by 20 years of conflict, is also experiencing a famine. |
Al-Shabab controls most of south and central Somalia, including the areas worst affected by the famine. | Al-Shabab controls most of south and central Somalia, including the areas worst affected by the famine. |
On Saturday, it surprised many analysts by announcing a withdrawal of its forces from Mogadishu. | |
Guerrilla warfare? | |
Mr Mahiga told the BBC he believed al-Shabab had made a tactical retreat. | Mr Mahiga told the BBC he believed al-Shabab had made a tactical retreat. |
"Both [the AU force] and government forces need to be resupplied and resupplied quickly in terms of manpower and equipment to re-establish authority in those areas [surrendered by al-Shabab]," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. | "Both [the AU force] and government forces need to be resupplied and resupplied quickly in terms of manpower and equipment to re-establish authority in those areas [surrendered by al-Shabab]," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. |
Mr Mahiga said al-Shabab was likely to wage guerrilla warfare in Mogadishu, including carrying out more suicide bombings. | |
"It could be that a totally different military situation is being created," he said. | |
The AU has 9,000 troops in Somalia out of an expected 20,000. All are from Uganda and Burundi. | |
Several African countries, including Nigeria and Malawi, have failed to fulfil promises to send troops because they fear being dragged into a long-running conflict. | |
Al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda, was formed in 2007 to overthrow the weak interim government and establish Islamic rule in Somalia. | |
Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh is on a regional tour to bolster support for his government. | |
Attack repelled | |
He is due to meet Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete on Tuesday, following a meeting on Monday with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni. | |
The BBC's Mohamed Mwalimu in Mogadishu says al-Shabab fighters launched an overnight attack in the city on two fronts. | |
However, they retreated after AU and government forces returned fire, our reporter says. | |
The government held a ceremony on Tuesday in Mogadishu's commercial hub, the Bakara market, to announce that police would take over security at the market from the army. | |
The government's decision showed it was confident that al-Shabab was on the retreat in Mogadishu, our reporter says. | |
The market had been heavily contested for months and many shops - which closed because of the fighting - were reopening, our reporter says. | |
The government has promised militants that they will not be punished if they surrender. | |
"Put down your weapons and your guns, and come and join the people and your society," government spokesman Abdirahman Osman was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. | |
The UN refugee agency on Monday flew aid to famine victims in Mogadishu, its first airlift to the city for five years. | The UN refugee agency on Monday flew aid to famine victims in Mogadishu, its first airlift to the city for five years. |
Some 100,000 people have arrived in the city in the last two months in search of food. | Some 100,000 people have arrived in the city in the last two months in search of food. |
Insecurity makes it difficult for aid agencies to distribute materials. | Insecurity makes it difficult for aid agencies to distribute materials. |