Leslie Lefkow, Africa deputy director
Shelling, Gunfire Strikes Homes, Market, and Medical Clinic
(Nairobi) – Rival clan militias fighting in Kismayo, Somalia, earlier this month caused an unknown number of civilian casualties in apparently indiscriminate attacks on civilian buildings.
The United Nations reported that at least 31 civilians were killed and 38 more wounded during the fighting on June 7 and 8, 2013, which erupted after weeks of mounting tension over control of the lucrative port. Casualty figures are conflicting because the dead and wounded were taken to different locations across the city, and information regarding the status of the casualties is limited.
“The militias fighting over Kismayo showed little apparent regard for the safety of civilians around them, including at a market and a medical clinic,” said Leslie Lefkow, Africa deputy director. “All warring parties should take precautions to spare the civilian population. The laws of war apply to all armed groups.”
Human Rights Watch spoke to several residents and aid workers in the city who described how attacks killed civilians and damaged civilian buildings.
The bulk of the fighting was concentrated in the village of Dalaada, in the Alanley district of southwest Kismayo, on the road to the airport. At least one civilian was killed when the fighting erupted on June 7. Local residents told Human Rights Watch that Kusa Nurow Hassan, a woman with a disability, was hit by bullets in the head and left arm at the Alanley market where she sold milk. “We collected her teeth on the ground and her left side was smashed,” said a woman who helped collect her body. “It is very painful to remember how she was killed.”
On June 8, fighting broke out at around 8 a.m. and lasted until about 6 p.m. A local source told Human Rights Watch that a Quranic schoolteacher and one of his pupils were hit by stray bullets during fighting in the morning. Witnesses described heavy shelling in Dalaada during the afternoon. Three children, two siblings aged four and five and another seven-year-old girl, were killed when a shell, possibly a mortar round based on witness descriptions, struck near their house in Dalaada. At least five other civilians in the home were wounded in the strike, including another seven-year-old girl and a young woman. Local sources reported that another house in the neighborhood was hit by a shell in the same attack, injuring one woman.
At about 6 p.m. a small private medical clinic called Waamo Hospital, which provides outpatient services in Dalaada, was also hit by weapons fire. One witness believes a mortar round struck the clinic, but photographic evidence is inconclusive. The clinic is clearly signposted. Several sources told Human Rights Watch that the laboratory in the clinic was destroyed and the consultation room partially damaged. No one was injured in the attack, as the rooms struck were empty, but lab equipment was destroyed.
The fighting in Kismayo primarily involved the Ormale and Ras Kamboni clan militia. According to a local source, the Gaaljecel militia is also thought to have participated in the fighting. Human Rights Watch was not able to confirm which militia was responsible for the weapons fire striking the homes and clinic in Dalaada, nor the weaponry used.
“The patchy information about the recent clashes in Kismayo, and their effect on civilians, once again highlights the need for systematic documentation and reporting,” Lefkow said. “The new UN mission in Somalia – UNSOM – should immediately establish its expanded human rights monitoring section.”
International humanitarian law, or the laws of war, obliges all parties to a conflict, including state armed forces and non-state armed groups, to take every feasible precaution to minimize harm to the civilian population. Attacks that target civilians or civilian objects are prohibited, as are attacks that do not discriminate between civilians and military objectives, or are expected to cause civilian harm greater than the anticipated military gain.
While the laws of war do not prohibit fighting in urban areas, the presence of many civilians places greater obligations on all warring parties to take steps to minimize civilian harm.
Kismayo has been tense since May 15, when some local clan leaders proclaimed a new semiautonomous regional state known as “Jubaland,” under the leadership of Ahmed Mohamed Islam, known as “Madobe,” the head of the Ras Kamboni militia. The announcement provoked other clan militia leaders in Kismayo to declare themselves the leaders of Jubaland, including Iftin Hassan Basto. The fighting broke out on June 7, when Ras Kamboni militia allegedly stopped Basto from meeting with a delegation of the federal Somali government from Mogadishu.
“While accurate details on the fighting are unavailable, civilians clearly paid the price,” said Lefkow. “The Somali authorities and all other parties in this conflict need to make civilian protection a priority.”
The United Nations reported that at least 31 civilians were killed and 38 more wounded during the fighting on June 7 and 8, 2013, which erupted after weeks of mounting tension over control of the lucrative port. Casualty figures are conflicting because the dead and wounded were taken to different locations across the city, and information regarding the status of the casualties is limited.
“The militias fighting over Kismayo showed little apparent regard for the safety of civilians around them, including at a market and a medical clinic,” said Leslie Lefkow, Africa deputy director. “All warring parties should take precautions to spare the civilian population. The laws of war apply to all armed groups.”
Human Rights Watch spoke to several residents and aid workers in the city who described how attacks killed civilians and damaged civilian buildings.
The bulk of the fighting was concentrated in the village of Dalaada, in the Alanley district of southwest Kismayo, on the road to the airport. At least one civilian was killed when the fighting erupted on June 7. Local residents told Human Rights Watch that Kusa Nurow Hassan, a woman with a disability, was hit by bullets in the head and left arm at the Alanley market where she sold milk. “We collected her teeth on the ground and her left side was smashed,” said a woman who helped collect her body. “It is very painful to remember how she was killed.”
On June 8, fighting broke out at around 8 a.m. and lasted until about 6 p.m. A local source told Human Rights Watch that a Quranic schoolteacher and one of his pupils were hit by stray bullets during fighting in the morning. Witnesses described heavy shelling in Dalaada during the afternoon. Three children, two siblings aged four and five and another seven-year-old girl, were killed when a shell, possibly a mortar round based on witness descriptions, struck near their house in Dalaada. At least five other civilians in the home were wounded in the strike, including another seven-year-old girl and a young woman. Local sources reported that another house in the neighborhood was hit by a shell in the same attack, injuring one woman.
At about 6 p.m. a small private medical clinic called Waamo Hospital, which provides outpatient services in Dalaada, was also hit by weapons fire. One witness believes a mortar round struck the clinic, but photographic evidence is inconclusive. The clinic is clearly signposted. Several sources told Human Rights Watch that the laboratory in the clinic was destroyed and the consultation room partially damaged. No one was injured in the attack, as the rooms struck were empty, but lab equipment was destroyed.
The fighting in Kismayo primarily involved the Ormale and Ras Kamboni clan militia. According to a local source, the Gaaljecel militia is also thought to have participated in the fighting. Human Rights Watch was not able to confirm which militia was responsible for the weapons fire striking the homes and clinic in Dalaada, nor the weaponry used.
“The patchy information about the recent clashes in Kismayo, and their effect on civilians, once again highlights the need for systematic documentation and reporting,” Lefkow said. “The new UN mission in Somalia – UNSOM – should immediately establish its expanded human rights monitoring section.”
International humanitarian law, or the laws of war, obliges all parties to a conflict, including state armed forces and non-state armed groups, to take every feasible precaution to minimize harm to the civilian population. Attacks that target civilians or civilian objects are prohibited, as are attacks that do not discriminate between civilians and military objectives, or are expected to cause civilian harm greater than the anticipated military gain.
While the laws of war do not prohibit fighting in urban areas, the presence of many civilians places greater obligations on all warring parties to take steps to minimize civilian harm.
Kismayo has been tense since May 15, when some local clan leaders proclaimed a new semiautonomous regional state known as “Jubaland,” under the leadership of Ahmed Mohamed Islam, known as “Madobe,” the head of the Ras Kamboni militia. The announcement provoked other clan militia leaders in Kismayo to declare themselves the leaders of Jubaland, including Iftin Hassan Basto. The fighting broke out on June 7, when Ras Kamboni militia allegedly stopped Basto from meeting with a delegation of the federal Somali government from Mogadishu.
“While accurate details on the fighting are unavailable, civilians clearly paid the price,” said Lefkow. “The Somali authorities and all other parties in this conflict need to make civilian protection a priority.”
READ IN SOMALI
Soomaaliya: Dad Rayid ah Ayaa Lagu Dilay Isku Dhacyadii Kismaayo
Duqeyn, iyo Xabado Guryo, Suuq iyo Isbitaal Kudhacay
Dableyda ku dagaalamaya Kismaayo ayaa u muujiyay tixgalin yar sida muuqata badbaadada dadka rayidka ahaa ee hareerahooda ku sugnaa, kuwaasoo meelaha ay joogeen ay kujireen suuq iyo isbitaal. Dhammaan dhinacyada dagaalamaya waa in ay sameeyaan taxaddaro ay ku badbaadinayaan dadka rayidka ah. Sharuucda dagaalka ayaa waxay khuseeyaan dhammaan kooxaha hubeysan.
(Nairobi) – Dagaal u dhexeeyay dabley qabaail oo horraantii bishaan ka dhacay Kismayo, Soomaaliya ayaa wuxuu khasaaro u geystay dad rayid ah oo aan tiradooda la garanayn arrintaasoo sida muuqata u eg in weeraro aan loo aabayeelin lagu qaado dhismeyaal rayid.
Qaramada Midoobay waxay ku warbixisay in ugu yaraan 31 qof oo rayid ah la dilay, 38 qof oo kalena la dhaawacay intii uu socday dagaalkaas taariikh 7 iyo taariikh 8 Juun, 2013, dagaalkaas oo dhacay kadib xiisad muddo asbuucyo ah ka taagnayd maamulida dakada faa’iidada badan ee magaaladaas. Wararka ka soo baxay tirooyinka ayaa is khilaafaya sababtoo ah dadka dhintay iyo dadka dhaawacmay ayaa waxaa loo kala qaaday meelo kala duwan oo caasimadaa ka tirsan xogta ku saabsan xaalada dadka khasaaradu soo gaartayna waa mid xaddidan.
“Dableyda ku dagaalamaya Kismaayo ayaa u muujiyay tixgalin yar sida muuqata badbaadada dadka rayidka ahaa ee hareerahooda ku sugnaa, kuwaasoo meelaha ay joogeen ay kujireen suuq iyo isbitaal,” sidaa waxaa tiri Leslie Lefkow, oo ah agaasime ku-xigeenka waaxda Afrika. “Dhammaan dhinacyada dagaalamaya waa in ay sameeyaan taxaddaro ay ku badbaadinayaan dadka rayidka ah. Sharuucda dagaalka ayaa waxay khuseeyaan dhammaan kooxaha hubeysan.” Sidaa ayay raacisay.
Human Rights Watch waxay la hadashay dhowr qof oo halkaa daggan iyo shaqaale caafimaad oo caasimadaa kusugnaa kuwaasoo sheegay sidii weeraradu ay u galaafteen nolosha dad rayid ah dhaawacna u gaarsiiyeen dhismeyaal dad rayid ahi leeyihiin.
Dagaalka intiisa badan wuxuu ka dhacay xaafada Dalacaada ee dagmada Calanley oo kutaala koofurta galbeed ee magaalada Kismaayo, gaar ahaana wadada garoonka diyaaradaha loo maro. Ugu yaraan hal qof oo rayid ah ayaa la dilay markii dagaalku uu qarxay 7 dii Juun. Dad maxaliyiin ah ayaa u sheegay Human Rights Watch in Kusa Nurow Hassan, oo ahayd haweeney naafo ahayd, ay xabadi uga dhacday madaxa iyo gacanta bidix ayadoo ku sugnayd suuqa Calanley halkaas oo caano ay ku iibin jirtay. “Waxaanu dhulka ka soo uruurinay ilkaheedii dhinaceedii bidixna waa uu burburay,” sidaa waxaa tiri haweeney wax kasoo qaaday meydkeeda. “Waxaa aad u xanuun badan in la xasuusto sida loo dilay.”
8 dii Juun, dagaal ayaa qarxay qiyaastii markii ay saacadu ahayd 8da subaxnimo wuxuuna socday ilaa qiyaastii saacadu markay ahayd 6da galabnimo. Il-wareed maxali ah ayaa waxay u sheegtay Human Rights Watch in xabado wiifto ahaa ay ku dhaceen macalin dugsi Quraan iyo hal qof oo ka mid ahaa ardaydiisa intii uu dagaalku socday subixii. Marqaatiyaal ayaa sheegay in duqeyn culus ay galabkii ka dhacday Dalacaada. Saddex carruur ah, oo laba ay walaalo ahaayeen kuwaasoo kala jiray afar sano iyo shan sano iyo gabar kale oo jirtay todobo sano, ayaa dhintay kadib markii madfac, sida macquulka ah marqaatina uu sheegay uu ku habsaday ayagoo joogay meel u dhow gurigooda oo kuyaala xaafada Dalacaada. Ugu yaraan shan qof oo kale oo rayid ah oo guriga kujiray ayaa duqeynta lagu dhaawacay, dadkaas oo ay ku jireen gabar kale oo todobo jir ah iyo haweeney dhallinyaro ah. Ilo-wareed maxali ah ayaa kusoo waramay in guri kale oo xaafadaa ku yaalay uu madfac ku dhacay isla weerarkaa intii uu socday, oo uu haweeney dhaawacay.
Qiyaastii markii saacadu ahayd 6 da galabnimo, isbitaal si gaar ah loo leeyahay oo yar oo lagu magacaabo Waamo Hospital, kaasoo adeegyo caafimaad siiya dadka bukaan-socodka ah kuna yaala xaafada Dalacaada, ayaa sidoo kale ku dhacay hub la soo riday.Mid ka mid ah goobjoogayaasha ayaa aaminsan in madfac lagu riday isbitaalka balse sawirada cadeynta ah ee halkaas laga soo qaaday ma muujinayaan cadeyn dhameystiran. Isbitaalka si waadax ah ayaa boorkiisu u muuqanayay. Dhowr ilo-wareed ayaa u sheegay Human Rights Watch in madfacu uu sheybaarkii isbitaalka burburiyay iyo sidoo kale in qolkii latalinta caafimaadka lagu bixin jirayna uu dhaawac gaarsiiyay. Qofna kuma dhaawacmin halkaa, maadaama aysan cidna joogin qolalkaa, laakiin qalab sheybaar ayaa la burburiyay.
Dagaalka Kismaayo asaas ahaan wuxuu u dhexeeyay dableyda qabiilka Cawrmale iyo dableyda Ras Kamboni. Marka loo eego il-wareed maxali ah, dableyda Gaaljecel waxaa sidoo kale loo malaynayaa in ay ka qeybqaadatay dagaalka. Human Rights Watch ma aysan awoodin in ay xaqiijiso maleeshiyada masuulka ka ahayd hubka lagu garaacay guryaha iyo isbitaalka kuyaala xaafada Dalacaada, iyo hubka la adeegsaday.
“Xogta aan tooska ahayn ee ku saabsan isku dhacyadii dhawaan ka dhacay gudaha Kismaayo iyo waxyeelada ay gaarsiiyeen dadka rayidka ah waxay mar kale sharraxaysaa baahida loo qabo wax qorid iyo soo tebin nidaamsan,” Lefkow ayaa sidaa sheegtay. “Hawlgalka QM ee cusub ee Soomaaliya – UNSOM – waa inuu si dhaqso ah u hirgasho qeybtiisa baahsan ee la socoshada xaquuqul insaanka.” Sidaa ayay raacisay.
Sharciga caalamiga ah ee baniaadminimada, ama shuruucda dagaalka, waxay ku waajib yeelayaan dhammaan dhinacyada dagaal ka qeyb qaadanaya, oo ay kujiraan ciidamada qalabka sida ee wadan leeyahay iyo kooxo hubeysan oo dowli aan ahayn, inay qaataan taxaddar kasta oo macquul ah si loo yareeyo dhibka soo gaaraya dadka rayidka ah. Weerarada lagu bartilmaansado dad rayid ah ama ahdaafta rayidka waxaa loo mamnuucay si la mid ah sida loo mamnuucay weerarada aan u kala aaba yeelin ahdaafta rayidka iyo ahdaafta militariga, ama la filayo inay rayidka u geysan karaan dhib ka weyn faaiidada military ee la filayo.
Ayadoo shuruucda dagaalku aysan mamnuucin dagaalada ka dhaca magaalooyinka, joogitaanka meel ay joogaan dad badan oo rayid ah waxay saareysaa waajibaadyo intii hore ka weyn dhammaan dhinacyo dagaalamaya si ay u qaadaan tillaabooyin lagu yareynayo dhibka soo gaaraya dadka rayidka ah.
Kismaayo waxay kacsaneyd laga soo bilaabo 15 kii Maayo, markii hoggaamiyeyaal qabiilo maxali ah ay shaaca ka qaadeen ismaamul-hoosaad goboleed oo cusub oo loo yaqaano “Jubaland,” kaasoo hoos imaanaya hoggaanka Axmed Maxamed Islaan oo loo yaqaano, “Madoobe,” oo ah madaxa dableyda Ras Kamboni. Shaacintaasi waxay keentay in hoggaamiyeyaal qabaail oo kale oo ku sugan Kismaayo ay shaaca ka qaadaan in ay iyaguna yihiin hoggaamiyeyaasha Jubaland, waxaana ka mid ah Iftin Xassan Baasto. Dagaalka ayaa qarxay 7dii Juun markii dableyda Ras Kamboni ay sida la sheegay ka hor istaagtay Baasto inuu la kulmo wafdi kasocday dowlada federaalka Soomaaliya oo ka yimid Muqdisho.
“Ayadoo aan la haynin faahfaahin sax ah oo ku saabsan dagaalka, hadana sida waadaxa ah rayidka ayaa khasaaradu soo gaadhay,” sidaa waxaa tiri Lefkow. “Hayadaha dowliga ah ee Soomaaliya iyo dhammaan dhinacyada kale ee ku jira colaadaan waxaa laga doonayaa in ay badbaadada rayidka ka dhigaan mudnaan.”
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