Mogadishu's new mayor orders residents to turn in arms

[GlockenHammer]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/05 ... index.html

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- A former warlord who has long lived by his gun was sworn in as mayor of Mogadishu on Friday and immediately ordered residents of the Somali capital to get rid of their weapons.

But Mayor Mohamed Dheere offered no clear details on how that could be accomplished in a city awash in Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns and hand grenades. Previous efforts to get residents to give up their weapons have been unsuccessful.

"No weapons are allowed in the city," Dheere, who spent 16 years as a warlord struggling for power in this Horn of Africa nation, said at his inauguration ceremony. "Anyone who violates this directive will be punished."

The new police chief, Abdi Qeybdiid, also called for residents to disarm Friday, and said cars with blacked-out or tinted windows must go.

"Anyone who fails to abide by these rules will be brought before the court," he said -- a surprising assertion in a city that has seen little more than chaos for more than a decade.

Dheere is trying to build on a fragile peace carved out by clan deal-making and a fierce military crackdown on Muslim militants.

Aid groups say 1,670 people were killed between March 12 and April 26 and more than 340,000 of the city's 2 million residents fled for safety as the government, backed by Ethiopian troops, pressed to wipe out an Islamic insurgency.

Things that make you go hmmmm.... Militant warload long lived by the gun, gets control of government, orders all weapons turned in, violators will be "punished"....

[longtooth]

They that love liberty more than life die only once.
They that fear oppression more than death die every time they close their eyes.

This was my original signature several yrs ago before texasCHL.
Were I there I would choose the punishment of death in the fight rather than torture, abuse, & then death in the prision.
LT.

[Venus Pax]

ANd of course, no one calls him on this.

[Liberty]

They that love liberty more than life die only once.
They that fear oppression more than death die every time they close their eyes.

This was my original signature several yrs ago before texasCHL.
Were I there I would choose the punishment of death in the fight rather than torture, abuse, & then death in the prision.
LT.

I wonder at this point if there are any freedom lovers still alive there.

[phddan]

They will be back to throwing lead all over the place real soon.

Dan

[Lodge2004]

I got an all expense paid trip to Mogadishu back in the early 90's courtesy of the U.S. Army. The place was one giant firearms/ammo dump. We stayed in the "Tank Factory" and it was like walking around in a museum. Within a relatively small compound, there were tanks dating from the opening stages of WWII through the early 80's.

Imagine an army surplus store the size of Houston with everybody living in the aisles.

Kinda hard to say...turn them all in.

[Omaney]

Who does that guy think he is??...Ray Nagin???

[stevie_d_64]

Who does that guy think he is??...Ray Nagin???

Now thats good!

[stevie_d_64]

I got an all expense paid trip to Mogadishu back in the early 90's courtesy of the U.S. Army. The place was one giant firearms/ammo dump. We stayed in the "Tank Factory" and it was like walking around in a museum. Within a relatively small compound, there were tanks dating from the opening stages of WWII through the early 80's.

You know, if it wasn't so darn volitile there, I'd love to get my hands on a surplus BTR-80...DE-milled of course...

I hear they go for a song...

[jbirds1210]

Who does that guy think he is??...Ray Nagin???

[RPBrown]

Who does that guy think he is??...Ray Nagin???

Now thats funny. I don't care who ya are

[Fourman]

Mayor Mohamed Dheere needs to check his history. He is falling right in line with other history changing leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini..the list can go on and on. In a way it is like the Pot calling the Kettle black, do you really think he will control his "police".

Brian

[shootthesheet]

So, in other countries they are "Kalashnikov rifles" and not assault rifles even though they are actually automatic weapons. Here they are "assault rifles", even though they are only auto-loaders. Strange, how all of a sudden, CNN suddenly doesn't call them "weapons of mass destruction" but the gentler "Kalashnikov rifle".

[Liberty]

So, in other countries they are "Kalashnikov rifles" and not assault rifles even though they are actually automatic weapons. Here they are "assault rifles", even though they are only auto-loaders. Strange, how all of a sudden, CNN suddenly doesn't call them "weapons of mass destruction" but the gentler "Kalashnikov rifle".

I have never heard any of the mainstream media call any rifle "weapons of mass destruction" Not CNN, NBC or even the New York times.

[BrassMonkey]

They could be if you had enough rounds :-)