The recent bloodshed in Somalia has possibly come to an end as Islamist militias seized control over the country’s capital, Mogadishu, last Monday.
The Union of Islamic Courts declared that the reign of the warlords, who have fought for power since the fall of dictator Siad Barre in 1991, is over in Mogadishu.
It is reported that nine of the 11 ruling warlords have left Mogadishu, and that the Islamic Courts are in talks with the remaining fighters. The Union of Islamic Courts has pledged to ‘fully implement peace and security’.
Fighting flared earlier in the year, when the warlords, who had previously divided Mogadishu into fiefdoms, united to form the Anti-Terrorism Alliance, and accused the Islamic Courts of harbouring al-Qaeda militants.
A ceasefire declared on May 14 was broken after only ten days, giving way to yet more gun battles between the opponents.
Somalia has this year experienced its worst internal conflict in a decade, with around 330 killed and 1,500 injured in the crossfire.
Somalia has been in a perpetual state of lawlessness and clan warfare without an effective government for 15 years.
The Islamic Courts were set up as a grassroots movement by businessmen in an attempt to install law and order into a city that has no official police force or judicial system.
Rivalries between Somalia’s six major clans were inflamed during the rule of President Barre, as he sought to distract attention from the increasing unpopularity of his regime. This led to an unprecedented outbreak of intertribal conflict that resulted in sustained civil war.
Many of those killed in the fighting have been civilians. As a result, thousands flee the country each year. In 2004, Somalia was the second largest source of refugees settling in the UK, with an approximate 400,000 Somali refugees worldwide. It is hoped that peace may stem the flow of asylum seekers, and even encourage some to return to their homeland.
Ibrahim Harbi from Cardiff’s Somali Integration Society (SIS), claimed that it is too dangerous to send those who fail to achieve refugee status back to Somalia.
“When the British government tried to send people back, some were killed,” he said.
“The British must therefore be very careful about sending unsuccessful applicants back, as it is a considerable threat to their lives.”
Cardiff is home to the largest and oldest Somali population in the UK. The community was founded by Somali sailors who came to Cardiff as migrant workers at the end of the 19th Century. The first Somali asylum seekers arrived in the UK in 1988, when the civil war began.
Mr Harbi said that many of the refugees today are from the more unstable southern regions of Somalia. “Many are from minority clans which do not have arms with which to fight.”
He added that Cardiff is ‘a peaceful city for refugees’ due to its cosmopolitan nature.
“Trouble only comes when incidents such as 7/7 happen, and ignorant people are unable to distinguish between terrorists and refugees,” he said.
“All become targets at such times, and refugees pay the highest price, as they are most vulnerable.”
There are several projects operating in Cardiff to help with the integration of Somali refugees. The SIS acts as a bridge between surface providers such as the NHS, and the refugees, focusing on the main areas of health, employment and community.
Mr Harbi stressed that the Somali population has already ‘done much for Cardiff”.
“They helped build Cardiff in the 1920s, when the city needed migrant workers,” he said.
“They have contributed economically and culturally, enhancing the cosmopolitan feel of the city.”
