- Somalia's most prominent peace activist, Abdulkadir Yahya Ali, this night was shot dead at his residence in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. His killing has caused outrage and shock among local residents and in the international community. Groups close to al-Qaeda are among the prime suspects in the assassination.
Mr Yahya has been one of Somalia's most outspoken peace activists, seeking bold solutions to solve the chaotic situation in his country. Leading the Mogadishu-based Centre for Research and Dialogue (CRD), Mr Yahya became an important voice for civil society in peace processes normally dominated by warlords, clan leaders and war criminals.
The peace activist was attacked by five unknown assailants in his home in Mogadishu this night, according to sources in the Somali capital. He was shot dead in front of his wife after the assailants had handcuffed his security guards. Mr Yahya had also been forced to hand over his computer before he was shot, indicating political motives behind the assault.
There are still no suspects in the assassination, but speculations have so far gone in the direction of radical Islamist groups with possible links to al-Qaeda that are said to operate in Somalia. The killing of Mr Yahya coincides with the publishing of a new report by the Brussels-based think-tank International Crisis Group (ICG), revealing the existence of al-Qaeda operatives in Somalia.
Representatives of the CRD told the British state broadcaster BBC that the Islamist groups may have thought that Mr Yahya's centre had been the source of these revelations. He however denied there were any links between the CRD and the ICG.
The ICG report claims that a "quiet, dirty conflict" is being fought out in Mogadishu, "by al-Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed networks." Since 2003, Somalia had witnessed the rise of a new, ruthless, independent jihadi network with links to al-Qaeda, ICG holds. This network was held responsible for the killing of a female BBC producer, two young Somali footballers and a Somali woman working for an international NGO.
In Mogadishu, the news of Mr Yahya's assassination caused outrage and shock. His long-lasting work for peace in Somalia had made him a prominent figure in Somalia's peace-longing society, but also far beyond the country's borders. International reactions to the killing were strong and direct.
The UN today condemned "the brutal assassination" of Mr Yahya, warning that such acts undermined prospects for ending turmoil in Somalia. "Mr Yahya had devoted many years to foster peace and reconciliation in his country and was widely respected by his countrymen and by many in the international community," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a statement today, calling the attack a brutal murder.
The UN office in Somalia condemned the "the brutal assassination" as undermining the prospects of stabilisation in Somalia, especially in Mogadishu. "This attack on a helpless lover of peace is of concern to all well-meaning people who have known Abdulkadir Yahya," the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) said in a statement issued on behalf of Mr Annan's Special Representative for the country, François Lonseny Fall.
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