Tension is still mounting high in Baidoa, a city about 240 kilometers south of Somalia's capital

From: aweys nuur <aweysn@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Re: [Arlaadi] news
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 12:51:39 +0100 (BST)

Tension Remains High in Somalia's South Town of Baidoa
Tension is still mounting high in Baidoa, a city about
240 kilometers south of Somalia's capital of
Mogadishu, over the possible arrival of faction leader
Hussein Mohamed Aidid.

Aidid is the current rotating-chairman of the
Ethiopian-backed Reconciliation Council, whose members
are now meeting in Baidoa for an alleged formulation
of a reconciliation process which will then lead to
the erection of a representative government for
Somalia.

A meeting between the executive committee for the
Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA) in Biadoa since
Tuesday has come to a deadlock with the faction torn
apart between those wishing the arrival of Aidid in
the town led by RRA chairman, Colonel Hassan Mohamed
Shargudud, and those against Aidid's arrival led by
Adan Mohamed Nur Soransor, general-audit of the
faction.

Soransor, former governor of Bakol region, threatened
that whoever tries to bring Aidid in Baidoa will
shoulder the consequences.

"The arrival of Hussein Aidid in Baidoa is a moral
annihilation for the Rahanwein communities," he said,
accusing Aidid of massacre of thousands of Rahanwein
civilians in Baidoa between 1995 and 1998 when his
militias controlled the region.

"Hussein Aidid's evil behavior against the Rahanwein
people is unforgettable and it is in the black pages
of the history of our people," Soransor said.

According to reports reaching here on Wednesday, there
are three senior Ethiopian military officials in
Baidoa lobbying for the arrival of Aidid.

The Ethiopians have worked hard on the establishment
of the Reconciliation Council for the factions
opposing to the interim government led by Abdiqasim
Salad Hassan, which was established last year thanks
to the brokering of Djibouti.

The interim government Wednesday once again condemned
Ethiopia' s intervention into Somalia's internal
affairs.