Johannesburg

Friday

Sunny. Pleasantly warm.

16°C
28°C

7 day forecasts

Terror-links put spotlight on Somalia

2001-09-25 22:12

Nairobi - Washington's release of a list of organisations and people with suspected links to terrorism has turned the spotlight back on Somalia, a country in chaos where one of the named Islamist movements is based.

"Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya (AIAI) is a radical fundamentalist Islamic organisation present in several countries ... with the goal of setting up an Islamic state (if necessary) with the force of violence," explained a Nairobi-based diplomatic source.

AIAI is one of 11 organisations whose assets President US George W Bush ordered frozen on Monday because of their alleged links to terrorism.

It has in the past carried out terrorist activities, notably in Ethiopia, and is thought to have trained terrorists in Somalia. But there is little, if any, evidence that AIAI is currently employing violence to achieve its goals, or that it poses a direct threat to the United States.

While Washington has not explained why AIAI was included in the asset-freeze list, speculation among analysts in Nairobi has focussed on the money trail.

Somalia has lacked a functioning state since the fall of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991. Consequently, the banking sector is informal, yet widespread and complex, accommodating in particular numerous remittances from relatives abroad and payments from within Somalia for imported goods.

There are some indications that AIAI is involved in this system as well as in Somalia's lucrative telecommunications sector.

AIAI members are characterised by their asceticism. They do not smoke or drink, and this lack of certain material needs allows them to channel much surplus income to their cause.

Many Somali watchers, especially among the evacuated expatriate humanitarian community based in Nairobi, are wondering whether AIAI's appearance on Bush's list makes Somalia a likely target for a US strike.

Opinion is sharply divided, with several well-placed sources expecting some sort of military intervention, perhaps on AIAI camps in Somalia, while others deem such an eventuality unlikely and even counterproductive.

Despite wildfire rumours to the contrary, there has been no evidence of a US military build-up in the region, and particularly not in Kenya, which has logistical advantages for such an operation, should it take place.

The United Nations hurriedly evaucated Somalia on a "temporary" basis on Monday, but stressed this was merely the consequence of the withdrawal of war-risks coverage in insurance policies for its flights into Somalia.

"I would like to stress that the decision has nothing to do with the security situation in Somalia which remains stable and unchanged," UN Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator Randolph Kent said in an official statement.

But his was not the view of all in the aid business.

The humanitarian branch of the European Union has put pressure on aid agencies it funds to pull out temporarily from Somalia, specifically because of security concerns.

And security concerns were behind the decision made by the UN last week to leave the northeastern port city of Bosasso, in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, where demonstrations in support of Osama bin Laden were held after the September 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington.

While there is no evidence that AIAI was behind the demonstations, or even has direct links to bin Laden or his al-Qaeda organisation, the group has been reported to be a player in a power struggle that has raged for several months in Puntland.

The only overt accusation that AIAI is a terrorist organisation came from Ethiopia, which managed to militarily thwart the group's activities in Ethiopia's Ogaden region in the mid 1990s, where AIAI was fighting alongside secessionist elements.

In 1996, several people were killed in bomb attacks on Addis Ababa hotels, for which AIAI claimed responsibility.

On Tuesday, Ethiopia said it had proof of direct links between AIAI and al-Qaeda. - AFP

- SAPA

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 16-27°C Sunny. Warm. Pta: 18-31°C Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 16-28°C Sunny. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 14-31°C Sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-21°C A few showers. Partly cloudy. Cool. PE: 15-21°C Mostly sunny. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

HR PA / Administrator

Western Cape
Personastaff

HR PA / Administrator

Western Cape
Personastaff

Project Engineer

Mpumalanga
Budget Recruitment Services

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2009 Audi A3 2.0 T Sportback Manual - 24000kms
Lava Grey & Tan leather interior
R 275 000

VOLKSWAGEN

Scirocco 2.0 TSi Sportline 3-dr Coupe DSG
2009
R 369,995.00

SUBARU

Legacy 2.0R AWD AT
2007
R 169,990.00

AUDI

A4 2.0 TDi Dsl 103kW MY05
2007
R 199,900.00

Property - Find a new home

WATERVAL EAST

Single Residential R2,400,000

KWAAIWATER

Single Residential R2,500,000

WELBEDACHT

Single Residential R2,600,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Luxury bush escape

Book a five-star stay at Pumba Game Lodge or Richard Branson's Ulusaba Safari Lodge and save R2 000. More details!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

Great Festive Savings on Books

Up to 30% Off ALL Books. 2.3 million titles on SALE.

Sleek New iPod Range. Order Your's Now!

iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!

Up to 40% off Fabulous Festive Flicks

46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now! Pre-order Up and District 9!

Up to 20% off ALL Music

100s of festive new releases now in stock! Now, Bump 25, Bon Jovi & more!

1000s of Festive Toys on Sale

Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!

Hot Deal of the Day!

Wii Limited Edition Black

Was R3,150.95 Now R2,899.95

Designed to attract people, regardless of their age or video game experience, to sit down & play together!

Up to 40% Off Sale on All Books, Toys, CDs, DVDs & Games!