War crimes committed in Somalia

2007-08-13 14:06

Nairobi - The Somali government, Ethiopian and insurgent forces all committed war crimes during the fighting earlier this year in Mogadishu, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Monday.

The report, entitled "Shell-Shocked: Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu", details exactions and rights violations committed by all sides at the height of the fighting in April and March 2007.

In 2006, an Islamist militia accused by Washington of ties with al-Qaeda took control of large parts of the impoverished Horn of Africa country, which has been mired in civil unrest since 1991.

Backed by the mighty army of neighbouring Ethiopia, the forces of interim Somali government supported by the international community reclaimed the capital in April after fierce fighting.

"The warring parties have all shown criminal disregard for the well-being of the civilian population of Mogadishu," Ken Roth, HRW's executive director, said.

The rights group offered a particularly indicting list of war crimes committed by Ethiopian forces, who quickly overwhelmed the Islamists with aerial power.

"The deliberate nature of these bombardments, evidence of criminal intent, strongly suggests the commission of war crimes," he said.

According to the organisation, the weeks of fighting in the seaside capital left between 400 and 1&bsp;300 civilians dead and displaced about 400 000.

The New York-based rights group emphasised the need for greater international awareness and stronger action by key diplomatic players.

"The UN Security Council's indifference to this crisis has only added to the tragedy," Roth said.

HRW said the UN Security Council should make strong provisions to protect civilians when it discusses proposals to turn the 1 500-strong African Union contingent currently deployed into a UN peacekeeping mission.

The 113-page report gives a detailed account of the latest conflict in Somalia and provides a litany of violations of the laws of war committed by all belligerents.

The Islamist-dominated insurgency was accused of deploying in densely-populated areas, firing mortars indiscriminately in busy neighbourhoods and targeting civilian officials.

"The insurgency placed civilians at grave risk by deploying among them," said Roth. "But that is no justification for Ethiopia's calculated shelling and rocketing of whole neighbourhoods."

"Its troops on several occasions specifically targeted hospitals and looted them of desperately needed medical equipment," HRW also said.

The report said although forces of the transitional government "played a secondary role" to the Ethiopian troops, they failed to protect civilians, looted property and hampered relief.

- AFP