Somali Warlords Agree to Disarm

One of the first steps to pacifying Somalia is to get the transitional government to be the sole force with major arms. Eliminating the military power of the warlords and clans is a major goal, and an agreement for those warlords to disarm is a major step towards that goal.

That doesn't mean that there are significant hurdles to overcome, but it means that those warlords appear to have faith in the transitional government to provide those warlords with a voice that they do not need to resort to armed conflict.

"The warlords and the government have agreed to collaborate for the restoration of peace in Somalia," said Abdirahman Dinari, the government spokesman. Dinari said the president had met with three top Somali warlords and two other faction leaders.

"The agreement means they have to disarm their militia and their men have to join the national army," Dinari told The Associated Press.

The rout of the Islamic fundamentalist movement, which had controlled much of Somalia for the past six months, by Somali government troops and Ethiopian soldiers has allowed the country's weak U.N.-backed transitional government to enter the capital for the first time since it was established in 2004.

Besides clan divisions, resentment of Ethiopia's intervention and remnants of the Islamic movement also were likely to bedevil the government for some time to come.

There are believed to be about 20,000 militiamen in Somalia and the country is awash with guns. Rival clan fighting and warlords already have been the undoing of 13 other attempts at government in Somalia since the country collapsed into chaos in 1991.

One of Somalia's most powerful warlords, Mohamed Qanyare Afrah, told the AP after the meeting that the warlords were "fed up" with guns and ready to cooperate with the government.

However, another warlord spelled out a warning.

"If the government is ready to reconcile its people and chooses the right leadership, I hope there is no need to revolt against it," said Muse Sudi Yalahow, whose fighters control north Mogadishu. "If they fail and lose the confidence of the people, I think they would be called new warlords."

Indeed, the Times reports that there was a gunbattle outside the location where the disarmament talks occurred leaving eight dead. There is still the ongoing fight with the Islamists and al Qaeda elements, who are holed up in the southern part of the country. There are also reports of a small US force on the ground assisting in the tracking and elimination of al Qaeda inside Somalia. The Somali government has stated that they want the US to assist in hunting al Qaeda inside the country.

The U.S. is helping Somalia liquidate al Qaeda militants on a request from the Transitional Federal Government, the Somali foreign minister told RIA Novosti on the phone from Kenya Friday.

The U.S. Air Force carried out air strikes in southern Somalia Monday, aimed at eliminating members of al Qaeda. The attack has come under criticism from the United Nations, and European and Arab countries.

Ismail Hurre said, "America helped us prevent militants of al Qaeda and the Islamic courts that support it from sending additional forces and new fighters into Somali territory."

The U.S. said Thursday the attack had failed to eliminate the three al Qaeda suspects being targeted, but that 10 people linked to the terrorist group had been killed. The search for the militants continues.

An African peacekeeping mission was being urged by some.