Somalia agrees to allow human rights investigation

Somalia has agreed to allow the United Nations human rights commissioner to investigate allegations that recent fighting violated international law.

John Holmes, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said that the government “did not accept any of the allegations,” but said it will allow an investigation by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour.

Mr Holmes visited the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday and met with President Abdullahi Yusuf. But his planned two-day trip was cut short when two explosions went off – one of them near the UN compound which killed three people.

Mr Holmes said he did not believe the bombs were targeted at him.

“I think someone was trying to send a message that the conflict is not over,” he said.

Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned against each other. The government was set up in 2004, but has failed to assert any real control.

The latest surge in fighting, between March 12 and April 26, killed at least 1,670 people and sent at least 400,000 fleeing the capital as the government and its Ethiopian allies tried to quash and Islamic insurgency.

The government declared victory about two weeks ago, and there has been relative calm. But in a city teeming with guns after more than a decade of chaos, the government has declared victory before – only to have the insurgents reappear.

Mr Holmes has said the fighting in the city had violated international humanitarian law. “When you have a pitched battle going on in a city full of civilians, that is not in accordance with the Geneva Conventions,” he said.