Mogadishu, Somalia – Clan leaders in the capital considered switching sides and throwing their support to government forces, which advanced to within striking distance of this beleaguered city Wednesday.
In Mogadishu, fighters with the opposition Islamic courts movement were seen changing out of their uniforms into civilian clothes. Women selling qat – the popular leafy stimulant banned by the militias – crowded the streets.
The militias of the Council of Islamic Courts seized Mogadishu in June and went on to take much of southern Somalia. They were later joined by foreign militants, including Pakistanis and Arabs.
The militias are no match for Ethiopia, which has the strongest military in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopian forces crossed the border Sunday to reinforce the internationally recognized Somali government, which was bottled up in the town of Baidoa, 140 miles northwest of Mogadishu.
On Wednesday, Ethiopian and Somali government troops drove Islamic fighters out of Jowhar, the last major town on the northern road to Mogadishu. As troops entered Jowhar, an independent radio station began blasting Western music, which the militias had banned. In Baidoa, government officials introduced journalists to a dozen soldiers who said they had been forced to fight on behalf of the militias.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said he aims to severely damage the courts’ military capabilities and allow both sides to return to peace talks as equals.
Some Islamic leaders have threatened guerrilla warfare, including suicide bombings in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.
