(AFP) Ethiopian Woyanne forces opened fire on demonstrators protesting against their presence in Mogadishu Sunday, killing three, witnesses said, as fresh violence engulfed the Somali capital.
At the same time, Somali authorities urged civilians to evacuate from southern Mogadishu, vowing to widen crackdowns to areas believed to be rebel hideouts.
A crowd of hundreds of protestors chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and wielding sticks had been marching in the streets of southern Mogadishu in reaction to the latest Ethiopian Woyanne crackdown on the insurgency when the deaths occurred.
“A young boy and two other civilians died when Ethiopian Woyanne forces in Suqaholaha area opened fire on us. We were demonstrating against them and they opened fire to disperse the crowd,” witness Hussein Adan Suley told AFP.
“We ran away when the Ethiopians Woyanne opened fire. I know that one child was killed,” said another protestor, Asma Wardhere.
There was no immediate confirmation of the casualty toll from medical sources following the demonstration, the first to be staged by disgruntled Mogadishu residents in several months.
But a police official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that three people had died during the demonstration, and added that two other people had been killed Sunday in separate incidents.
One man was shot dead in the volatile Bakara market area. Relatives said the motives of the killing were not known.
Police also said that one of their members was killed but declined to reveal the location and circumstances of the incident.
Demonstrators razed a police station on Sunday, the second to be burnt down in southern Mogadishu in two days, after terrified police fled, the city’s mayor Mohamed Omar Habeb told a press conference.
“They burnt down the second police station today,” he told a press conference.
“We call upon civilians in Bakara to move from that area because we will go after the insurgents in that area,” said Habeb, referring to the volatile Bakara market in southern Mogadishu.
For the second day, violence pitting joint Ethiopia Woyanne-Somali forces against Islamist insurgents rocked the city in broad daylight.
On Saturday, Ethiopian Woyanne troops fanned out into the streets following fighting near the stadium that left at least six civilians dead.
The latest clashes prompted a fresh wave of displacement, as civilians could be seen across entire neighbourhoods loading pick-up trucks and donkey carts with household items.
“No one can endure what is happening in Mogadishu, it’s non-stop violence and it’s taking hundreds of lives every week,” said southern Mogadishu resident Abdurahman Nure, speaking to AFP from the back of a Land Cruiser as he left the city with his children.
The Ethiopian Woyanne army came to the rescue of Somalia’s embattled government last year to defeat fundamentalist Islamist militia that briefly controlled large parts of the country.
Since the Islamists were ousted earlier this year, its militia and allied tribal fighters have waged a guerrilla-style war, carrying out hit-and-run attacks, mainly by night and in Mogadishu.
“The insurgents are attacking the government and Ethiopia Woyanne forces almost everyday now,” said Fartun Adan Mohamed, a single mother of three while fleeing.
“Whenever this happens, we civilians are the target for the Ethiopian Woyanne army as well as the Somali forces, so fleeing is the only option we have,” she said.
Residents said daytime clashes are making the city more dangerous than before.
Mogadishu residents have been fleeing the city in several major waves in recent months, arriving in droves in neighbouring settlements plagued by dire food shortages.
While the capital was engulfed in violence, the country’s transitional government was also on the brink of disintegration.
In Baidoa township, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) from Mogadishu, President Abdullahi Ahmed Yusuf was pushing parliament to oust Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi.
The two leaders are from the country’s two main and rival tribes and the president accuses his premier of failing to bring an end to the insurgency.
6 thoughts on “Woyanne troops opened fire on Somali protesters”
Elias
As much as I hate Ethiopians die, Somalis have to verey right to fight and drive out WOYANE murderous forces from their country – Now that Woyanes are contemplating to invade Eritrea, the Somali forces should seize this opportunity and wipe out the Woyane Occupation forces!!!
In addition, I hope this will be a wake up call for the NON-TIGRE portion of the Ethiopian Defence Forces (The Oromos, Amaras, Wolayitas, Gurages, Kambatas, Sidamas, Somalis, Agnuaks, etc) to turn their gun against the real enemy of Ethiopia who are the WOYANES and drive them back to where they came from – Dedebit!!
ALL ARMED AND NON-ARMED DEMOCRATIC FORCES OF ETHIOPIA MUST SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND CALL UPON THEIR CONSTITUENCIES TO RISE UP AGAINST WOYANE TYRANNY!!
Shaebia trained and armed Woyane (TPLF) to destroy Ethiopia – Now is the time for all Ethiopian Democratic Forces to rise up and coordinate with Shaebia forces and WIPE OUT WOYANE by force as they have refused to step down through the ballot box. Force is the only alternative!!!
I wish Ethiopians take back Ethiopia from the Woyane enemy forces. It is time for Ethiopian Forces to coordinate with the Eritrean Forces to crush Woyane once and for all.
N.B.: THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND – Woyane is definitely the enemy – by simple inference at this time in our history Eritrea is a friend of Democratic forces of Ethiopia
Victory to ALL Democratic Forces of Ethiopia!!!
Down with the Murderous Woyane Occupation Forces!
Bring Meles the tyrant and his Tigrean Thus to justice!!
Ethiopia shall be Free!!
Those Woyanne solders who murdered young Ethiopians after they lost the election in 2005 are now killing Somalians in their own country.This fascist army is the armed wing of TPLF not Ethiopian.Their leaders should be brought to justice for this war crime.Melese,Bereket,Sibihat Nega,Arkebe,Abay Tsehaye etc……all are from one region and they are the war criminals and Ethiopians have nothing to do with this crime.
Genocide in the making!
The Weyane government should be stopped before we witness genocide of a magnitude of that of Rwanda 1994/95.Why is the international community silent when the Weyane is committing crime against humanity?
What kind of lunacy is this? Killing citizens of other country ( Dem mafses behagrachew Indelemedut Ibrit Kealekachew new yetemarut.)It is like the Italians used to kill our people during those bloody battle half a century ago. These venomous woyane are curses. I woonder how we will get rid of them.
I have no words enough to show my rage.
It is amazing how many people had to die just for Meles and his friends to stay in power. The war in Somilia sholdn’t have taken place. Both Ethiopians and Eritrians do not want to go to war. They just need to be rescued from the two sick dictators.
Divide and conquer is the plan of TPLF.If you take three sticks and try to break them together you will not succeed, however if you separate those sticks, then you can easily break them one at a time. This is the reason why ZENAWI’s plan was to start with ERITREA,then to move on to SOMALIA,Then once the resistance IN SOMALIA was reduced the plan was to take WAR 2 ERITREA AGAIN 2 SERVE THE MISSION “WAR ON TERROR”. The sheer disregard for human life that the TPLF demonstrates is worse than inhuman.Satan would be proud of the actions of the TPLF.These people did nothing wrong, their only crime was to be born in a COUNTRY NEIGHBOURING ETHIOPIA AND LED BY efficient leaders during UIC. How anyone can justify the mass killing of innocent people, is beyond me. The world should be forced to see the pictures of the dead children, women and sons with their brains spilling out, decapitated or missing limbs NOT only in somalia but also in ogaden,oromia,afar,ANDall parts of ethiopia.
peace to east africa..