Somali PM's convoy attacked

2005-11-06 17:41

Mogadishu - At least three people were killed and five others wounded on Sunday when an explosion hit a vehicle escorting Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi who was on a mission to south Mogadishu, witnesses said.

The witnesses said that Gedi, who arrived in Mogadishu from the northern town of Jowhar, was not hurt but that the three died instantly, while the wounded were rushed to a hospital.

The attack took place about 500m from the hotel where the prime minister was staying.

"We don't know what the explosion was. Maybe it was a bomb, a misguided anti-tank rocket, a land mine or a roadside bomb," said Ahmed Abdulle, a militia officer and local resident.

In May, at least 15 people were killed in a Mogadishu stadium where Gedi was addressing a gathering on plans to reconcile the war-shattered nation.

Gedi and President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed face huge oppposition from Somali warlords over their plan to base the central administration in Jowhar, 90km north of the capital.

They argue that Mogadishu, centre of the violence that has wracked Somalia for the past 14 years, is too unsafe.

The Horn of African nation has been deeply divided on the issue since the transitional government relocated from neighbouring Kenya in June.

Powerful warlords insist that the transitional leader is barred by the federal charter, a sort of constitution, from transferring the capital away from bullet-scarred Mogadishu.

Somalia, home to nearly 10 million people, has been without a functioning central administration since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Said Barre rendered the country unstable and overrun by warlords.

- AP