Somali Gov't Halts Disarmament ProgramSaturday January 6, 2007 1:31 PM
AP Photo NAI101
By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN
Associated Press Writer
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somalia's interim government on Saturday indefinitely
postponed plans to forcibly disarm Mogadishu as hundreds of people burned tires,
looted vehicles and said they wouldn't give up their guns. Two people were reported
killed and at 17 people wounded.
The protest came a day after al-Qaida's deputy leader called on Muslim militants to
attack Ethiopian troops, who helped government forces chase Somalia's Islamic militia
from the capital last week. Some Islamic fighters hiding in Mogadishu said they would
heed the call.
About 400 protesters gathered at Tribunka Square in a southern neighborhood, shouting
"Down, down with Ethiopia" and demanding an end to the disarmament plan.
"We don't want disarmament only in Mogadishu. We want all the people (of Somalia) and
all the clans to be disarmed simultaneously," said Dahil Abukar, one of the protesters.
-snip-