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FT 14 JUL 93 / Rising death toll stokes Somali hatred against UN: The
crusade against General Aideed has damaged the peacekeepers' claim of
impartiality
By LESLIE CRAWFORD
THE killing of four journalists in Mogadishu on Monday
shot, stoned and clubbed to death by a mob seeking revenge for its own dead
-has laid bare how tragically the United Nations humanitarian mission in
Somalia is unravelling.
Since the UN launched its night-time bombing raids over the capital in
retaliation for the slaying of 24 Pakistani soldiers last month, gunmen
loyal to General Mohamed Farah Aideed have turned south Mogadishu into an
urban guerrilla war theatre.
The rising death toll - 35 UN troops, more than 100 Somalis - and the UN's
decision to single out Gen Aideed as the chief villain in a land of feuding
warlords, has stoked Somali hatred against what is now perceived by many as
a foreign occupation force.
On Monday, after American Cobra helicopters bombarded a compound in the
heart of the city, the hatred spilled over to encompass all foreigners.
The journalists who were mobbed and killed at the bombed compound were well
known to the residents of south Mogadishu. These Somalis used to entreat
foreign reporters to come to see the destruction wrought by UN forces. Mr
Dan Eldon, a 22-year-old British-American Reuters photographer, was so well
known in the area after working there for a year that he had been nicknamed
the 'Mayor of Mogadishu'. That he should have been stoned to death indicates
how radically the mood has changed.
The UN's crusade against Gen Aideed has made the general into a local hero,
when only a few months ago his authority was waning. It has also damaged the
UN's claim to be an impartial policeman and further undermined its
credibility among Somalis.
Accounts of the recent attack diverge significantly. Gen Aideed's National
Somali Alliance claims a meeting of clan elders was taking place when the
compound came under attack. It says 74 people were killed and more than 200
wounded.
But Mr Barry Walkley, the UN spokesman in Mogadishu, insisted yesterday that
the compound was a command centre and rallying point for Aideed militia. 'We
are convinced there was no loss of innocent lives during Monday's assault,'
he said. 'UN troops counted 13 militia (members) dead and 15 wounded, maybe
more. There is no way 70 people could have been killed.
The question of UN-inflicted civilian casualties is straining relations
among the 20-odd national contingents that comprise the 20,800-member UN
peacekeeping force
Suspicion, mistrust and national rivalries are undermining the UN's military
command structure, formally under the authority of Turkish Gen Cevik Bir but
led in practice by Gen Thomas Montgomery, commander of the US forces in
Somalia.
The 2,600-strong Italian contingent is now allegedly taking its orders from
Rome and has refused to follow instructions from the UN command. Leading
Italian newspapers were united yesterday in their condemnation of the US-led
assault, after Mr Fabio Fabbri, defence minister, openly called for the
suspension of all UN combat operations in Mogadishu.
Rome fears the UN is sinking deeper into a military quagmire in Somalia and
is reluctant to become involved in a prolonged, senseless conflict. Mr
Fabbri's remarks earned him a sharp rebuke from Mr Boutros Boutros Ghali,
the UN secretary general, who said it was unacceptable for any troop
contingent to take action outside UN command.
UN officials distrust what they see as Italy's separate agenda in its former
colony. They suspect the Italian contingent may have struck a deal with Gen
Aideed's Habir Gedir clan following the deaths of three Italian soldiers
earlier this month.
They believe the Italians may have created a safe haven for Gen Aideed's
gunmen and perhaps even for the fugitive warlord himself.
Aid agencies too are increasingly critical of the UN's military operation
for losing sight of its political and humanitarian objectives.
'We are primarily concerned with the unnecessary loss of innocent lives,'
said Mr Howard Bell of Care International, who was in Mogadishu during
Monday's assault. 'Our relations with the military have deteriorated in the
past month. It has become difficult to plan relief work as we cannot always
rely on military escorts.'
Care has withdrawn all but three foreign aid workers from Mogadishu due to
the precarious security conditions in the capital. It says it has not been
able to supply its 35 feeding centres there on a regular basis since the UN
launched its military strikes in June. Before then, Care was feeding 175,000
displaced Somalis in the capital every day.
The UN, however, insists that any idea of reconciling rival clans and
promoting a political dialogue cannot be achieved until Gen Aideed's
militias have been disarmed. 'We need more troops,' said Mr Walkley. 'This
country is awash with weapons and we are not naive about the enormity of the
task. Security has become our paramount concern.'
But Mr Walkley admits that the UN is operating virtually under siege in the
capital. It has retreated into a heavily fortified compound on the outskirts
of town. UN staff are not allowed outside the compound and are transported
to the airport and other sights by helicopter.
Outside the capital, he says, progress is being made in bringing clan elders
together for talks. Kismayo, the southern port, is reported to have been
peaceful since two rival warlords were banished, and truces have been
negotiated in other areas.
But other Somalia watchers doubt whether the UN has the ability to fulfil
its aims. 'The UN is being naive if it thinks it can transform a desert
region of nomadic tribes into a model democracy,' said Dr Murray Watson, a
scientist who lived in Somalia for 14 years. 'I cannot think of a worse test
case for the UN's new role as global policeman. They simply don't have
enough experts to know what they are doing.'
He said: 'Somalis have a tradition in which blood crimes are repaid with
blood. For the past month they have been counting the death toll inflicted
by the UN. Foreigners will be killed in Somalia, whether they wear a Blue
Helmet, a nurse's uniform or a camera.'
Countries:-
SOZ Somalia, Africa.
Industries:-
P9721 International Affairs.
Types:-
NEWS General News.
The Financial Times
London Page 4