Somalia: Information additional to that found in the March 1997 New African report on the peace agreement that was reached between the Somali National alliance leader Hussein Aideed and United Somali Congress (USC) leader Ali Mahdi Mohammed in Mogadishu in early 1997, and how it has affected the security situation in Mogadishu

According to the March 1997 New African report, two peace agreements have been signed between Hussein Aideed and Ali Mahdi (24). The Mogadishu agreement was signed in Mogadishu in mid-January and the Sodere agreement was signed at Sodere, in Ethiopia on 3 January 1997 (ibid).

According to a 17 January 1997 Africa Confidential article, the Sodere agreement was signed by leaders of 26 Somali factions, who created a 41-member National Salvation Council (NSC) "with a mandate to organise a transitional government" (2). The NSC has nine members from each of the major clan families (Darod, Hawiye, Rahanweyn and Dir) with five seats for smaller clans" (ibid.). The NSC is reportedly headed by an "eleven-person National Executive Committee (NEC), with five co-chairmen, "all carefully balanced by clan and by faction" (ibid).

The Sodere agreement, however, was allegedly marked by some major obstacles: Hussein Aideed did not attend the conference, there was no agreement about the headquarters of the NSC, and  Mogadishu was rejected for security reasons but also because it is a Hawiye city (AC 17 Jan. 1997). Furthermore, some of Somaliland's Somali National Movement (SNM) and Isaaq clans were not represented, although non-Isaaq Somaliland clans reportedly sent representatives (ibid.).

The Sodere agreement is reportedly more convoluted by Ethiopia and Kenya's involvement in Somali politics (Africa Confidential 28 Mar. 1997). Although both sides, Aideed's and Ali Mahdi's reportedly want peace, reports of the security situation in Mogadishu appear to be contradictory (ibid.).  Africa confidential reports that "a recent wave of political assassinations looks to have ended" while several media reports indicate that massacres, death, and fighting are still occuring in Mogadishu (AFP 5 Mar. 1997; ibid., 17 Mar. 97; ibid., 3 May 1997). Nonetheless, Hussein Aideed and Osman Ali Otto, reportedly signed another agreement in Sanaa, Yemen, by which the two faction leaders agreed to work together to restore security and stability in Somalia (AFP 5 May 1997).

For additional information on this topic, please consult the attached documents.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Africa Confidential [London]. 28 March 1997. Vol. 38, No. 7. "Somalia: No Peace, No War."

_____. 17 January 1997. "Somalia: The Sodere Spirit."

Agence France Presse (AFP). 4 May 1996. "Accord entre les dirigeants de deux factions Somaliens," AFP Mail

_____. 3 May 1997. "24 morts et 38 blessés dans des combats entre factions," AFP Mail

_____. 11 March 1997. "Au moins 11 tués dans des combats entre factions rivales en Somalie," AFP Mail

_____. 5 March 1997. "Des femmes et enfants massacrés au nord de Mogadiscio,"AFP Mail

Attachments

Africa Confidential [London]. 28 March 1997. Vol. 38, No. 7. "Somalia: No Peace, No War," pp. 6-7.

_____. 17 January 1997. "Somalia: The Sodere Spirit," pp. 2-4.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 4 May 1996. "Accord entre les dirigeants de deux factions Somaliens," AFP Mail

_____. 3 May 1997. "24 morts et 38 blessés dans des combats entre factions," AFP Mail

_____. 11 March 1997. "Au moins 11 tués dans des combats entre factions rivales en Somalie," AFP Mail

_____. 5 March 1997. "Des femmes et enfants massacrés au nord de Mogadiscio,"AFP Mail