20101010
Monitor

About a week before members of the United Nations Security Council and 27 members of the European Union's top military organ flew into Uganda to, among other things, map out efforts for a final push to rout out Somali militant group, al Shabaab, from their bases, Sunday Monitor's reporter spent five days in the Horn of Africa country. From the Somalia capital, Mogadishu, he asks how peace can be returned to the war-weary country and narrates the combat challenges currently facing the Uganda-led African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) in their quest to end the nearly two-decade insurgency.

In any effort to resolve an armed conflict, the process usually involves two major aspects; the military method which always ends with the loss of lives, especially of otherwise innocent people caught in the crossfire. And the diplomatic aspect, which involves talking to all warring parties.

But for the Somali conflict one wonders whether war will ultimately bring peace. One can't help asking, should the Somali government negotiate with al Shabaab? Will Uganda and Burundi, so far the only two countries to contribute troops to the 8,000-strong Amisom force, win this war on their own if other African countries do not provide more soldiers to bring troops to the required level of at least 20,000?

Some protagonists in this conflict, including the acting Somali Prime Minister, Abdirahman Gonjeh, are pessimistic about peace talks with al Shabaab.

"I don't think the al Shabaab can reconcile with us," he says. "They have their flag and they believe in a different ideology. Somalia will be peaceful if the international community and African Union help the government to build a strong military base and flash out these insurgents."

The Somalia conflict is riding on a harmful combination of tribal warring and religious extremism and has now been complicated by the imported cross-border terrorism courtesy of al Qaeda, a militant Islamist terror outfit led by Osama bin Laden.

This complexity of the two-decade conflict is why Abdi-Karim Osman, a Somali working at Mogadishu Port, suggests that African Union forces should be increased to fight, disarm warlords and occupy the whole of Somalia for years to allow the warring parties reconcile.

"Peace talks cannot bring peace to Somalia because we have tried that before and failed. What we need now is African Union to first pacify the whole of Mogadishu through a military campaign and give a chance to peace talks later," he says. "Uganda cannot win this war alone. Other African countries must come in,"

Mr Osman's argument seems to suggest that this sort of action will provide the warring factions with an opportunity to listen to each other if they are all disarmed.

If peace talks fail and the African countries do not contribute troops to the required levels, according to other schools of thought, then the warlords should be left to fight each until they the find equilibrium.

However, the commander of African Union forces in Somalia, Gen. Nathan Mugisha, disagrees with the proponents of the argument that UPDF should withdraw and leave the Somalis to fight until they find a balance.

"This is an African problem. We must solve it as Africans and the more we delay, the more it gets complicated," he says.

Gen. Mugisha is optimistic that peace talks between the belligerents will help to deliver Somalia to sanity.

He gives an example of the militia group, Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca, which recently joined the transitional government of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed after peace negotiations.

These militias were fighting alongside UPDF and TFG forces in El-hind near the Somali parliament against al Shabaab when I visited the area. The group is made up of moderate Sufi Muslims who have been fighting the insurgent groups; al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam in central Somalia.

Combat challenges

But, as Amisom fights for peace, are they gaining any ground in a hot spot where even the American forces were given a bloody nose? The answers lie in the explanations.

Over the years, the UPDF warfare doctrine has traditionally focused more on its conduct in a rural environment. In Somalia, however, they are engaged in urban combat and the commanders say the soldiers now seem to adapt quickly.

Of all the types of ground over which UPDF has fought battles like the plains in the northern region, the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Ruwenzori mountains, street-combat in Mogadishu is a new kettle of fish.

It is a hazardous and dangerous fighting ground because everywhere in built-up areas, the ruined buildings can be used by well-concealed snipers to attack. Every doorway, window, pile of rubble, rooftop and seemingly abandoned cars, could contain a fatal hazard for the unwary.

But Ugandan peacekeepers have managed to counter the insurgents, who have lived and fought in Mogadishu for decades. The UPDF urban infantry break-through walls of buildings and stealthily advance near al Shabaab defence positions. The walls of houses, so comforting to those who lived there in normal times, are now the best ‘doors’ that soldiers use to gain access to the enemy position.

This Crippling Method, as Maj. Anthony Mbusi, a UPDF commander in Mogadishu calls it, was used to capture Telabunk, which the al Shabaab fighters were using to hit the peacekeepers at their base on Kilometre 4 junction.

This infamous Kilometre 4 junction, which is situated in the middle of Mogadishu, is where a number of Ugandan soldiers have either been killed by mortars or road side bombs.

But using armoured vehicles and urban infantry squads, UPDF has pushed the al Shabaab farther and the Amisom spokesperson, Maj. Ba-Hoku Barigye, says they have not been attacked by roadside bombers at this junction for the last one year.

Where they have lost ground, the al Shabaab have also tried to attack UPDF defence positions, like on September 25 when they tried to re-occupy buildings formerly occupied by a soft drinks factory, but in vain. “We were watching them and we gave them a bloody nose,” says Maj. Mbusi.

On rooftops, the peacekeepers have heaped bags of sand used as a firing cover and which they use to view the snipers’ positions.
Maj. Mbusi says a soldier stays alive by keeping constantly alert and in urban combat the need for awareness should be doubled. No building can be considered safe and empty unless entered and thoroughly searched.

Full time alertness?“We are alert all the time and we know they (al Shabaab) can come back anytime to attack or plant bombs in these rubbles or the buildings they have abandoned,” he said.

Gen. Mugisha, says in the military, flexibility is an important virtue. “We are used and I think you saw the morale of the soldiers when you visited these positions,” he said. “They have the morale and I am fully convinced that this mission do-able and we will do it.” The al Shabaab still controls a bigger area compared to the government.

The Burundian deputy Contingent Commander, Col. Aloys Sindayihebura, says al Shabaab recruit youth from southern Somalia, train them for three months at their bases in African Village, Gashandiga and Milk factory. These bases are a few kilometres away from the frontline.
Asked why they were not attacking these al Shabaab bases, Maj. Barigye said they needed more troops to occupy these bases after the assault. “We can attack but it doesn’t make sense if you don’t have troops to occupy these bases after the assault. Therefore we rather not waste our bullets,” he said.

Away from the frontline, inside the areas under full control of Amisom, shops and markets are open and people walk on the streets at night. It is within this area where the heavily guarded Amisom camp is situated.

In the middle of this ghost city, heavy trucks, some of them without bonnets but carrying charcoal and cement, are seen slowly driving through the potholed streets. When I asked where the trucks were transporting the charcoal to, a soldier at Kilometre 4 said it was for export. He says Somalis export thousands of bags charcoal to Asia daily.

Men wielding guns are visible from every corner of the street. But civilians seem not bothered by the presence of these armed men. As we drove through the streets in African Union armoured vehicles, they started saluting us, a sign that they were friendly forces. I was later told that these were Transitional Government Forces.

Peaceful but minus peace?At the sea port, which is under the control of Ugandan peacekeepers, business is booming. There are car-bonds, buildings are intact, and restaurants are open till late in the evening. All goods coming to Mogadishu from Asia and Europe come through this port. It is also the main source of government revenue.

The deputy mayor of Mogadishu, Iman Nur Icar, says the government collects $1 million (about Shs2 billion) per month.?Although this area may seem to be peaceful, no peacekeeper or a visitor is allowed to move out of the camp in ordinary cars. They all must be in armoured vehicles.

By 4pm, no vehicle, armoured or otherwise, is supposed to get out or enter the Amisom camp. This is a directive from the force commander which is aimed at reducing the risks of night attacks.

Life inside the camp has greatly changed ever since the United Nations assumed the responsibility of Amisom’s logistical needs in August last year. Senior and Junior officers have since abandoned tents and are now sleeping in well-lit metallic containers, fitted with air conditioning systems. They have safe running water treated at a plant donated by the UN after a number of peacekeepers died due to infections caused by contaminated water.

With more troop deployment to reinforce the strength of the peacekeepers; Gen. Mugisha says Mogadishu would be pacified within months. That, at least, is his dream.