The Somali government has been criticised after raiding an NGO compound in the capital, Mogadishu, with civil society groups saying such actions would hamper the work of humanitarian organisations.
– The raid was political and a warning to other civil society organisations to toe the government line, said Tony Burns, director of operations for SAACID-Australia, a sister organisation of SAACID-Somalia, the NGO that was raided on 18 June.
– Raising human rights and humanitarian issues has not gone down well with the TFG (Transitional Federal Government), he said.
A government spokesman, Abdi Haji Gobdon, however, told IRIN the raid was part of intensified efforts to collect illegal weapons in Mogadishu.
– There is nothing political about this. It was purely a security operation, he said.
According to the spokesman, more than 500 AK-47s (rifler) were found in the compound.
– The security forces will go to any place, including mosques, if there are illegal weapons, he added.
– The government crackdown will continue until the city is safe and secure.
Four staff of SAACID, who were arrested on 18th June and were being held for questioning, would be released if found innocent, he explained. They included the director, Raaho Mahamud Janaqow.
Kilde: www.irinnews.org
