Somalia: Women call on rebels to talks

  1. Posted on Friday 24 September 2010 - 11:00
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    Abdirashid Abdi Diis, AfricaNews reporter in Nariobi, Kenya
    A group of Somali women parliamentarian have called on the hard-line members of Al-Shabaab and their allied group of Hizubul Islam to peace talks to end the nearly 20 years running civil war in that country.
    SOMALIA- Al-Shabaab warns African countries
    The lawmakers said that the rebels should reorganize their political aspirations and join the talks to facilitate peace and stability in the country.

    The MPs urged the members of the Islamist groups to stop the fight against the Interim Transitional Federal government and switch to peace talks.

    They put emphasis on the point that war will never bring benefits in the country. They said they believed the fighters’ ultimate goal is political post.

    “We know that those fighting need posts or vacancy, so please we are requesting from you to come to the negotiating table. We know fighting continued 20 years in Somalia. So we welcome you to the talks please,” said Asha Abdala.

    Earlier this month the president of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed appealed to the “jihadists” to lay down their weapons and come forward to the talks on the resolution to the war tensions in the country.

    The Islamists always demand the withdrawal of the foreign troops in the country for them to negotiate with the fragile UN- backed government whenever talks to end the dispute proposed.

    Today there are hundreds of peacekeeping troops from the African Union (AU) in the country. The peacekeepers in Mogadishu have focused their muscles on shielding the president and guarding the airports and seaport from attacks.

    The Islamist insurgents claim the government and its people are western puppets.

    Somalia has been facing lawlessness since the warlords ousted Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

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