Abdi-Noor Haji Mohamed
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Two evil groups are fighting in Mogadishu. One is the Transitional Federal government (TFG) backed by Ethiopia and the other is the Islamic insurgents whose actions are more anti-Islamic as they seek power through the barrel of the gun. The two groups, let me say bitter rivals, exchange mortar attacks while hiding in safe bunkers, causing tremendous havoc and tragedy to the local populations. They have already evacuated their wives and children to safer and peaceful locations in the west and elsewhere in the world.
Not long ago a mortar bomb landed on five children who were playing at the backyard of their house with supposedly empty stomachs and probably lived in a dilapidated shelter. They might have been waiting for some food to be dropped by but unfortunately rockets became the bread they were waiting for. What have these children done wrong? Whose camp did they intrude illegally? They deserved to enjoy life at that tender age of childhood era. They were supposed to be given love and attention and provide them with education and health services and not to be pounded with heavy artillery exchanged by power hungry monsters who call themselves leaders of TFG, Islamic Clerics, or Free Parliament etc.
The responsibility of firing these rockets were immediately thrown upon the shoulders of
insurgents who believe to be fighting for sake of Allah by getting rid of the secular TFG but Sheikh Sheriff, leader of the defunct Islamic Courts, speaking on behalf of the insurgents while hiding in Asmara, Eritrea, denied his boys to be responsible of sending rockets that landed on residential areas.
He indeed supported attacks against TFG and Ethiopian positions but distanced himself from killing people with stray rockets. In between the lines of Sheikh Sherif’s statement, one can understand only those mortar bombs that hit government installations are fired by the insurgents while those that strike public places or take the life of innocent people are launched by the government! Is that possible?
On the other hand the government retaliates with unnecessary force in case a bullet is fired or a bomb exploded in their vicinity. The damage they had caused in such miscalculated attacks is enormously high. There is enormous pain to be a witness of a situation where people are just killed and nobody takes up an issue with the murderer. People in Mogadishu, the city of war, are living with fear, as they are victims of terror on daily basis because of the continuous and rather indiscriminate bombing of their city.
No one bothers if the rocket he launches takes the life of a child or that of a donkey, though donkeys themselves have rights to be protected. They show no mercy and concern over the fact that people are driven in search of stability. Can you imagine that double of the people who have recently returned to Mogadishu have fled again for safety in fear of being hit by flying mortars.
And the sad part of the story is that these terror actions will leave ineffaceable pain in the souls of the victims. I wonder if the TFG and the insurgents have any plans to rule this country because people perish while they are still up in arms to eliminate each other. When those who wish to be in power have no heart, the struggle or the means they intend to reach their goal is ruthlessly inhumane.