Somali Government Fails to Tame Capital

A heavily armed Ethiopian soldier is seen in the streets of Kismayu, Somalia, in this Tuesday, Jan 2, 2006 file photo. Eight months after the U.N.-backed government supported by troops from neighboring Ethiopia rolled into Mogadishu promising peace, divisions over clan, politics and power are stronger than ever. The chaos is allowing a deadly Islamic insurgency to gain momentum in a region seen as a key battleground in the war on terror. (AP Photo) (AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya -- The killings in Mogadishu, Somalia's bloodstained capital, are not going away. Nearly every day, the city endures street battles, roadside bombs, showers of bullets.

This is not how it was supposed to be.

Eight months after the U.N.-backed government supported by troops from neighboring Ethiopia rolled into Mogadishu promising peace, divisions over clan, politics and power are stronger than ever. The chaos is allowing a deadly Islamic insurgency to gain momentum in a region seen as a key battleground in the war on terror.

"We stayed here in Mogadishu through all this fighting because we thought things would calm down if the government became powerful," Asho Abdi Nor told The Associated Press this week as she fled the city with her family. "But now the Islamists are promising to redouble their attacks, and we will be the victims."

Somalia has been ravaged by violence and anarchy since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, then turned on each other. The current government was formed in 2004, but has struggled to assert any real control.

A radical Islamic group with ties to al-Qaida ruled the capital and much of southern Somalia for six months last year, until they were driven out in December when Ethiopia _ the region's military powerhouse _ sent in troops. Remnants of the group have launched an insurgency, vowing to realize their dream of ruling Somalia according to the Quran.

"A martyr like me should devote his precious life by defending Islam," an insurgent fighter, Abu Khalid, told the AP.

Human Rights Watch has accused all sides in the conflict of war crimes, saying the battles target hospitals and other medical facilities. The fighting has decimated the capital, already one of the most violent and gun-infested cities in the world. Thousands of civilians have been killed since December, and a fifth of Mogadishu's 2 million residents have fled.

Earlier this month, two prominent Somali journalists were assassinated, one outside his office and the other as he returned from his fallen colleague's funeral. The motives are unknown in a city teeming with people desperate for power.

Somalia's government spokesman acknowledges that violence has increased in recent weeks, but said it's only because "the terrorists are now using their last gasp to survive."

"What is happening now is a security operation, and it will continue until security is fully restored," he said. But the government has announced before that it has crushed the insurgency, only to watch it rise again.

A National Reconciliation Conference _ which also has been the target of insurgents _ has been going on since July, but organizers have announced no major breakthroughs. Much of the stalemate is due to clan allegiances _ there are dozens of clan factions in the capital, each making demands on the government and each a potential spoiler.