When the transitional government of Abdiqasim Hassan Salad came to power in 2000 the momentum of the ICU was initially slowed. The Preliminary delegate coming to Beijing for the meeting consist of: 1-Hon. Somalia's Islamic Courts Union The Islamic movement brought a brief moment of peace to Mogadishu in 2006 after years of war. Barre established several social programmes, raised literacy and educational standards, improved infrastructure, and implemented capital works programmes. No direct US interests there - what altruism! The US has also been involved. This support, it seems, has not extended to the provision of official military personnel, although this is not clear. Lets thank the Islamic court their well job done and lets give them chances to continue the remaining job well done. This comes at a time when over 400,000 people in Somalia are affected by flooding, with up to 900,000 at risk if the flooding worsens. What hope is there for Somalia's future? By and large, the strategies advocated in the document are those which can be expected by any faction in a civil war. Major fighting was reported in March, and by June they had taken the capital Mogadishu. According to Reuters, a confidential UN report estimated 6,000-8,000 Ethiopian troops were in Somalia in early November. We specialise in strategic global publishing and large archives. Is Somalia the next Iran? That intervention was a domestic political disaster for the US. The clan structure of society has helped people to endure the harshness of their climate and geography, even in the face of national government neglect or abuse. So the UIC is prepared to deal with criminals, but the targets are to be officials, not civilians, and the UIC is not prepared to carry out such actions itself. [10] When the transitional government of Abdiqasim Hassan Salad came to power in 2000 the momentum of the ICU was initially slowed. The ICU attacks in Puntland and claims to have advanced to 7 miles … If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. December 24, 2006 . An analysis of an al Qaeda produced video on Somalia’s Islamic Courts. It seems clear from multiple confirmed reports that, despite Ethiopian denials, there are tens of thousands of Ethiopian troops in Somalia at present, mainly around Baidoa, defending the TFG. The formerly British part is the north-western region known as Somaliland, and today operates as a de facto independent nation, though without any international recognition. The Islamic Courts Union joins 14 courts, which are broadly moderate but have a small number of radicals in their midst, analysts say. As the UIC took control of Mogadishu, the militias fighting against them were led by warlords who were ministers in the TFG, fighting in a 'private' capacity. He's strong on building community, but his public rhetoric has also been confrontational and expansionist, calling for war against Ethiopian forces in Somalia and for a 'greater Somalia' incorporating ethnic Somali regions of Ethiopia and Kenya.[1]. They are also known as the Joint Islamic Courts, Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), Supreme Islamic Technical users can also use Tails to help ensure you do not leave any records of your submission on the computer. Abdi Dayur SNM Member. Its purported secrecy is underscored by its final directive: whosoever leaks this information and is found guilty should be shot. A forger does not want to appear over the top, but still wants to inflict damage on the target. The transitional administration struggles to survive, with virtually no military force of its own, lacking authority anywhere else in the country, propped up by Ethiopian troops, and backed diplomatically by UN resolutions and US threats. In 1950, five years after the end of World War II, the UN established a trust territory under Italian control. On September 18, double suicide car bombings failed to kill TFG president Abdulahi Yusuf. Around 2000, the courts first united to form what would be called the ICU. Following Barre's death, a struggle for power between rival militias threw the country into chaos. But note the following dramatic timeline: The “Great China Project” message is another WikiLeaks.org leak, from a different source, this time an intercept of Somali TNG diplomatic traffic: Dear Amb. This seems beyond the TFG's immediate concerns in October, as it struggled for its own existence; but not beyond that of its foreign allies such as the US. The following is the address of our secure site where you can anonymously upload your documents to WikiLeaks editors. To cross from one warlord's region into another involved major risk; sometimes even to leave one's house entailed major risk. Sep 18: Attempted Baidoa assassination of TFG President Abdulahi Yusuf. The resolution sparked major protests in Mogadishu, and is likely seen in Somalia as giving license to Ethiopian incursion. Nonetheless, their takeover of Mogadishu and the threat of full-scale war led to a stream of 18,000 refugees into Kenya by August.[6]. Barre engaged in a futile war with Ethiopia over the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, leading to tens of thousands of deaths. Somali society is clan-based and the clan always holds a Somali's first political loyalty. We are the global experts in source protection – it is a complex field. The document goes on to list strategies to be followed as part of this plan. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, on the other hand, has denied any great desire for land, professing that the courts are no threat and desire only order. The 'killing nuns' accusation apparently refers to the murder of a nun outside a Mogadishu hospital on September 17, swiftly condemned by the UIC, with two arrests made shortly afterwards. Said Hassan Shire, Minister of Rebuilding and Resettlement. Perhaps, since it is not terribly damaging, it received low priority; it is plausible it was circulated elsewhere but not seen fit to use publicly, since it is not quite consistent with the usual inflated denunciations. [7], The Islamic Courts Union fought pirate activity on the Somali coast, which subsequently declined during its rule. Backed by smuggled weapons from sympathetic countries, the militias which enforced their decisions have become a formidable force. It advocates minimizing animosity with religious leaders. [9], The Islamic Courts Union originated in the north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in 1994 and by 1996 their jurisdiction spread to the south of the capital. Fail in Somalia, Officials Charge", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Islamic_Courts_Union&oldid=998435243, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 January 2021, at 10:42. If the document is a forgery, they are smears and we must ask how they came to be. The Courage Foundation is an international organisation dedicated to the protection of journalistic sources. The Battle of Somalia. After 16 years of chaos and bloodshed, one faction in its civil war, the Union of Islamic Courts, has gone from being a minor player to being ready to wipe the last town held by the discredited UN-, US- and Ethiopian-backed regime from the map. Where once tourism drove the Somali economy, today piracy is one of the few… The UIC, through support from local imams, has gained significant popular legitimacy. As the UIC has taken further control of the country, it has imposed additional elements of governmental power. The 'Black Hawk Down' situation soon followed. Is it a bold manifesto by a flamboyant Islamic militant with links to Bin Laden? "The resistance which is taking place on the Somali arena is a popular resistance against occupation, aggression and annihilation ... the Islamic Courts are part of the great Somali people," he said. The US government claimed that he had been a suspected Al-Qaeda member and they also said that Abdullahi Sudi Arale was a member of the ICU, although there is no evidence that either of these claims are true.[13]. The warlords fled, and suffered defeat upon defeat. At that time much of the country was controlled by warlords: one might have expected him to spend more time dealing with strategies against them. Djibouti has provided uniforms and medicines; Egypt has provided training within Somalia; Iran has provided arms and ammunition; Hezbollah has provided military training and arms, and UIC fighters fought Israeli soldiers alongside Hezbollah in July 2006; Libya provided training, funds and arms; Eritrea provided arms, ammunition and military equipment; Saudi Arabia provided logistical support and ammunition. [9], For its part, the UIC also receives foreign support. If the leak is genuine, the secret order reveals insights into Aweys' thinking and strategy. Somalia the US & the Islamic Courts Union. But if it is authentic, then it is the first policy document of the Islamic courts, beyond public announcements, to make it into the hands of the international media. To that end it does't in anyway represent the opinion of the Union . Arrivals of thousands of foreign Islamic fighters have also been reported, especially in recent weeks, although it is difficult to see how this observation could be made with any reliability.[10]. Oct 14: TFG sends the Aweys document images and the English translation to Chinese contacts. You can only access this submissions system through Tor. Dated November 9, 2005, it purports to be an overall statement of UIC policy in the civil war: the footer describes it as a 'plan of action for governance based on the principles of Islam and restoration of justice in all Somalia regions'. It advocates 'plots' to mar the relationships between the TFG, Puntland and Somaliland, though it is not clear what this amounts to; subtleties of translation may be important here. It recommends that public friction with the TFG, Puntland or Somaliland administrations be minimized, while allies are identified within their cabinets and support provided to them. The agreement outlined a new national security framework for Somalia that would transfer responsibility for the country’s security from AMISOM to Somali security forces in up… Its main interest now, like Ethiopia, is against any Iran-style Islamist regime. A top Islamic militia leader on Thursday sought support from Somali clan elders for the introduction of Sharia law... Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images If you used flash media to store sensitive data, it is important to destroy the media. On December 24 Ethiopian warplanes began bombing UIC targets. These events have been triggered by a remarkable new phenomenon. On the other hand, the TFG may not have ever possessed as much legitimacy as its UN approval might suggest. Tails will require you to have either a USB stick or a DVD at least 4GB big and a laptop or desktop computer. was the TFG trying to protect a UIC mole or protect a forgery from public scrutiny? It is strange that he would refer to the organization already as the 'Islamic Republic of Somalia', a title which if adopted by the organization could alienate potential allies immediately by its implicit assertion of sovereignty; but, at a time of early planning, one might aim high, and later in public use more diplomatic language. If fake, it still says something about the intrigues of Somali and global politics. Where once Mogadishu was called "the White Pearl on the Indian Ocean," the city is now a crumbling, bullet-ridden ruin. There is substantial evidence of several Ethiopian government interventions in Somalia in recent years. (Invitation letters, tickets, and hotel arranged already). They have continued with traditional institutions and systems, which help to maintain social cohesion. The situation is far more complicated and interesting than any simplistic reading will imply. Only emerging in 2006 as a serious military force, they rapidly became ascendant, prosecuting an extraordinarily successful military, ideological, religious and social campaign. The Somali conflict is on the agenda. UN troops were withdrawn in short order, leaving Somali society further exposed. Somalis united against the intervention forces. At this critical time, a document has been leaked from the Somali transitional administration, via Chinese sources to WikiLeaks.Org. If the computer you are uploading from could subsequently be audited in an investigation, consider using a computer that is not easily tied to you. But it also led to the emergence of the militant group Al-Shabab By . [13], In response to the TFG's decision to shut down Radio HornAfrik (which broadcast BBC Somali Service), Radio Shabelle and Holy Koran Radio the United States warned that the combination of arrests and media blockages could undermine any efforts at reconciliation. SOMALIA: Islamic Courts warn of possible renewal of civil war. Since the rise of the UIC, the main interest of largely Christian Ethiopia has been to prevent the establishment of an Islamic state on its border, and to support the TFG, which is led by a long-time Ethiopian ally. As already mentioned, the UIC is somewhat unusual, compared to other factions in the civil war. His regime was also brutally authoritarian, murdering thousands. The US has repeatedly claimed that terrorists in Somalia are planning suicide attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia, and repeatedly denounced the UIC as harboring al-Qaeda terrorists. They have shut down theaters showing supposedly 'pornographic' movies - and it is not clear what counts as 'pornographic'. The United States of America and Ethiopia was alarmed by this takeover, so Ethiopia invaded southern Somalia in 2007 and put a new government in power that was made up … The Islamic Courts Union (ICU) originated as a loose association of Islamic courts in Somalia, which provided security and managed crime after the fall of Siad Barre’s authoritarian regime in 1991. The wounds of warlord lawlessness barely dried during the fearfully incompetent 1992-1995 UN-sanctioned US intervention. It is possible they were sponsored by the UIC, and would be consistent with the strategies enunciated in our document; but that is a far cry from the sort of terrorism of which the US accuses it.[12]. The buildup has continued since then, and Reuters quotes witnesses and security experts estimating 10,000 Ethiopian soldiers presently in the country. At 61 years old, he does not fight directly, but reportedly organizes training and strategy. Many of the strategies in the document came to fruition. Indeed, many of the same warlords whose militias vied for control of Mogadishu were given high-level posts in the transitional administration, continuing to operate their militias privately in the capital. On December 12, the UIC issued an ultimatum to Ethiopian forces in Baidoa to leave; that ultimatum expired on December 19, and heavy fighting continues, including aerial bombing by Ethiopian forces. Or is it the next Afghanistan? No faction emerged as dominant; alliances shifted, battles were fought, but chaos remained. Following the brutal murders of Pakistani UN troops by the militia of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, US-led UN forces soon abandoned neutrality and the mission, rather than establishing a stable, impartial, transitional order, became a war against Aidid. The Somali government, under external pressure, has promised an amnesty to Islamic Courts rank and file fighters, but says that those leaders who are still alive, will face prosecution. But we can assess the plausibility of the document being genuine, or a forgery, based on its content. [13], Despite the warnings by the US Government, a man who had been detained in Somalia was transferred to the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay in September 2007, where he was held in extra-judicial detention for two and a half years and subsequently released without charge. Tails is an operating system launched from a USB stick or a DVD that aim to leaves no traces when the computer is shut down after use and automatically routes your internet traffic through Tor. And larger again, because it follows the outcome of many previous colonial interventions. Although the UIC's expansionist ambitions are now quite clear, Somaliland and Puntland might find such an apparent assertion of sovereignty alarming and certainly would have in November 2005.[11]. Many of the strategies it recommends have been pursued, but some of it sounds like a smear. Mohamed Awil and Abdirahman Haji; Brothers, as I was just talking to brother Syed Ali and Abdirahman, and having obtained now the consent, elderly blessing and directives of HE, the President, thanks to Syed Ali for that, it is about time to do the last few actions requested by CHEC. According to US intelligence, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya cooperated with the al-Qaeda members who carried out the 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. The Islamic Courts Union originated in the north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in 1994 and by 1996 their jurisdiction spread to the south of the capital. Or is it a clever smear by US intelligence, designed to discredit the Union, fracture Somali alliances and manipulate China? No activities in Kenya or Tanzania are mentioned, such as those of which the US accuses the UIC. These events have been triggered by a remarkable new phenomenon. The Battle of Baidoa. And Aweys would certainly be an appropriate person to write such a document. When critics point to some fairly dubious US interventions - Chile, Guatemala, Iran, Nicaragua, Panama, Iraq, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the list goes on - the reply is, okay, but what about Somalia! But the document does suggest favoring certain warlords over others; warlords which were ministers in the TFG might well be regarded simply as part of the TFG; and the document was more one of political than military strategy. It has sent its 'foreign minister' to Yemen. It is not implausible, and not without precedent: US spooks have a long history of leak fabrication. This key's fingerprint is A04C 5E09 ED02 B328 03EB 6116 93ED 732E 9231 8DBA, If you need help using Tor you can contact WikiLeaks for assistance in setting it up using our simple webchat available at: https://wikileaks.org/talk, If you can use Tor, but need to contact WikiLeaks for other reasons use our secured webchat available at http://wlchatc3pjwpli5r.onion. With a red flame of a beard, Koran close to hand and scores of machine guns and anti-aircraft guns at his command, Aweys typifies the firebrand cleric. Since 1991, it has had no effective central government. As a result, in an extraordinary act of cynicism, the US came to support some of the same warlords who were US enemies in 1993, demonized in 'Black Hawk Down'. The colonial situation persisted through World War II. WikiLeaks publishes documents of political or historical importance that are censored or otherwise suppressed. In the 1990s Aweys headed an Islamist group, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, which received funds from Osama bin Laden, but also had elements of a Somali social movement. Thursday, June 08, 2006. On December 19 the UIC-imposed deadline expired, and heavy fighting continues around Baidoa. Alliances are often expressed through clan affiliations and traditional clan institutions. If US intelligence was behind the forgery, was it worried about being caught out again influencing US domestic political opinion with its fabrications? And whether the document is genuine or not, one is still forced to ask: How did Somalia find itself in this situation? In our experience it is always possible to find a custom solution for even the most seemingly difficult situations. Tor is an encrypted anonymising network that makes it harder to intercept internet communications, or see where communications are coming from or going to. At this dramatic juncture, a secret Islamic order, purportedly written by the most important man in the Union, Sheik Aweys, has been leaked. The enforcement of conservative Islam may become repressive and unpopular where it occurs, but at least for an initial period, the UIC carries a significant amount of public goodwill. Advanced users, if they wish, can also add a further layer of encryption to their submission using, President Muhammad Said Barre (1969-1991), Post intervention civil war, pre UIC (1995-2005), The rise of the Union of Islamic Courts (2000-), Aweys, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya and Osama bin Laden, Egypt, Eritra, Djibouti, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Hezbollah (2006), The secret Aweys order for an Islamic Republic, ost intervention civil war, pre UIC (1995-2005), he rise of the Union of Islamic Courts (2000-), weys, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya and Osama bin Laden, gypt, Eritra, Djibouti, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Hezbollah (2006), he secret Aweys order for an Islamic Republic, Series/Inside Somalia and the Union of Islamic Courts, http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/yearman/somalia.htm, http://www.hananews.org/WholeArticle.asp?artId=6158, https://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Inside_Somalia_and_the_Union_of_Islamic_Courts. 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No way of directly verifying the document is certainly plausible group Al Itihad Al Islamiya also established Islamic Courts fought! Support to the Aweys document images and the English translation to Chinese contacts we may admire the hardiness Somalis. Which can be expected to appreciate the work of any organization which ends years of violence establishes! Certainly be an appropriate person to write such a document has been the case independent as a united Somalia dictator.