Film #247 Aidid Armed For Anarchy
The killing of General Aidid was immediately followed by the appointment of his son, Hussein Mohamed Aidid, as self-declared President of Somalia. Predictably, this led to further chaos and violence within the country.
| Year | 1996 |
Transcript
00.00.00.00 | Technicals - frontline fighting | A difficult and bloody civil war in Somalia led to the overthrow of the dictator Siad Barre in 1991.
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| Children as young as 8 take part in the fierce and bitter fighting the fighting that continues as the powerful clans now battle each other for supremacy.
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00.22 | Technical patrolling greenline
| Mogadishu, a once beautiful city - split by a frontline dividing disputed clan territories. |
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| Armies of the warring factional leaders patrol here, along what is more locally known as the greenline - a corridor of former homes and schools with grisly reminders of past skirmishes.
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00.45 | Refugee camps | Forced out of their homes by devastation and starvation, many Somali people have fled to makeshift refugee camps.
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| The harsh reality is that with no cease fire in sight, aid agencies are unlikely to intervene and conditions are likely to worsen.
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01.05 | Kids on tanks | On almost every street burnt out tanks now provide million dollar playgrounds.
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| A poignant reminder of the failed US led UN mission - Operation Restore Hope.
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| Destroyed tanks | Among those American forces was a young marine - Hussein Aidid.
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| In what is a unique twist he has now returned to Mogadishu as the successor to his late father - General Farrah Aidid, a staunch foe of the Americans.
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01.33 | Aidid's forces - runway | The late General was the self elected president and leader of one the more powerful factions. He died from injuries he received from fighting two weeks ago.
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| The new president of the Republic of Somalia has announced the continuation of his fathers policy of "Pacification".
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| Disarming, is part of this policy and these soldiers are keen to do their job well.
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02.00 | Dahir Farah Abdile (Fighter) | We are doing a good job. We are doing a good job. We are disarming the bandits. It is a big job.
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| Killing those who disagree is also part of the policy.
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| Dahir Farah Abdile | We have the authority if we are ordered - we shoot. If we don't we won't. We have the permission to kill.
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02.32 | Shots | Back at the frontline battle weary fighters hardly flinch as shots ring out.
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| Others are more tense.
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| Hopes of a cease-fire have been dashed by Hussein Aidid's adherence to his late father's policies.
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| Ali Madhi, the north Mogadishu leader saw pacification as a barrier to Somali reconciliation.
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02.55 | Ali Madhi Mohammed - Faction Leader | We were negotiating with him for 5 years and he never accepted what is the desire of the people he never accepted. He is a man who wants only to have power, through the barrel of the gun.
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| In agreement is faction leader Osman Atto, travelling here in protected convoy.
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| He parted from the late General Aidid's clan and left his post as finance minister last year.
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03.25 | Osman Hassan Ali Atto - Faction Leader | The reason we do have this split is Aidid wants to take control of Somalia by force, and that is creating another dictator.
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| The government response to such condemnation by one of its own - was to avoid it.
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| Foreign Minister - Jamah Mohammed Galib
| Atto and Aidid this is a family affair. I don't think it concerns the government. |
| Goats | A sense of normality pervades this market but the goat sellers are finding the trade sluggish.
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| Khat Seller | The only real economic activity is that of the khat trade.
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| Khat an amphetamine like drug perishes quickly in the heat. So each morning it is flown in from Kenya.
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| Soldier | We like khat - it gets rid of fatigue and staves off nightmares. It also makes the work easier - it doesn't do you much good though.
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04.43 | Gun Cleaner | Khat may release the tedium of war and create trigger happy fighters but these young men are deadly serious in their struggle.
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| Abdullah Dahir | I believe I will die when Allah my god decides. But if my people need me to defend them, I have no right to be afraid of dying.
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| Hussein Aidid inherits a loyal army that his late father, General Aidid, forged from warring militias, freelancers and the former national army.
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| They are paid to carry a gun and put aside clan differences.
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| We understand the badness of the clans and now we are united as a national force.
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| These rival faction fighters have no uniforms, they paint their technicals gaudy colours and posses a certain bravado, but no one doubts their commitment.
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| These technicals are cannibalized aid vehicles with a machine gun or anti aircraft gun mounted in the rear.
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| As survivors of numerous battles, many young fighters believe the secret of their success lies in their willingness to die.
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06.04 | Boy | It doesn't matter if I die, because when I'm dying I am defending myself and my leader, so if I die no problem.
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| Bermuda, a small enclave in the heart of Mogadishu has turned to Islam in its search for a peaceful solution.
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| Technicals | Former wild militiamen are now running their technicals under the banner of Islam, for the newly established Islamic court. As protectors they bring order to the people.
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| Young Girl | It is amazing. Before they were robbers, breaking into Muslim homes, now they're normal people who believe in the Koran.
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06.45 | Football | Elman, a peace campaigner sought a different solution to the peace problem.
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| Elman Ali Ahmed | We will make revolution with sports, no one can stop the sports.
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| Elman took young fighters under his wing by teaching them football, reformed them.
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| Elman Ali Ahmed | Last 5 years we see only clan leaders, the warlords the gunmen, today we are celebrating we have no gun.
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| In Mogadishu's highly volatile and unstable conflict there is no place for such celebrations.
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| Elman was killed shortly after this film was made.
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| Osman Atto and Ali Madhi see reconciliation and negotiation as the only way forward to a peaceful end to the conflict.
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07.41 | Ali Madhi Mohammed | Most of the clans of most of Somali people are on one side, for reconciliation conference and for having a centre of authority.
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| Osman Hassan Ali Atto | Our intention is to reach ultimately the goal of the Somali nation peacefully. But I'm sure what we are doing now is create a Somali nation. And to create a Somali nation we need a multi clan, militias, to get together. And symbolises the start of the Somali nation.
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| Osman Ato's advice last year to the late General Aidid could be just as applicable to the young Hussein Aidid today.
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| Osman Hassan Ali Atto | Renounce the so called government. Renounce all the violence and join the peace process.
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08.44 |
| ENDS |
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