Militias could face war crimes
2006-05-29 22:19
Mogadishu - Militia soldiers fighting for control of the Somali capital could face war crime charges for attempting to prevent civilians and the wounded from receiving assistance during the conflict.
On Monday, the UN's Eric Laroche said the battle between fundamentalist Islamic militias and rival secular combatants had forced about 1 500 people to seek treatment at Mogadishu's two main hospitals since the beginning of this year.
In the past several days, hundreds have fled Mogadishu to avoid fighting that has killed 83 people since Wednesday.
The UN said: "Increasingly worrying reports from Mogadishu describe indiscriminate shelling of civilian populations and the city's medical facilities, with dozens dead in the last few days.
"Due to the intensity of the recent fighting, an increased number of civilian casualties have been unable to reach medical facilities."
Laroche said "that any deliberate attempt to prevent the wounded or civilians receiving assistance and protection during fighting in the city may constitute elements of future war crimes".
'Fighting can spread'
He said he was shocked at the militia's targeting of hospitals, and described it as a blatant violation of the basic rules of international humanitarian law.
Laroche said: "The fighting does have the potential to spread into other areas of southern Somalia, leading to further aggravation of the humanitarian crisis at a time when stability is needed for the success of the humanitarian drought response in the region.
"It is ethically unacceptable for fighting to be occurring in Mogadishu at a time when southern Somalia is experiencing a humanitarian emergency."
Somalia has had no effective government since warlords overthrew long-time ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. They then turned on each other.
Islamic leaders rejected a transitional government because it is not based on Islam.
They accuse a rival secular alliance - known as the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-terrorism - of working for the CIA, while the alliance accuses the self-appointed Islamic court leaders of having links to al-Qaeda.
- AP