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Somalia:Allegations of
AU force firing on civilians need investigating
5 February 2009
Amnesty International today called for a prompt, independent and
impartial investigation into allegations that AMISOM, the African
Union peace support operation in Somalia, opened fire
indiscriminately, resulting in the killing of civilians, in the
capital Mogadishu on 2 February 2008.
“It is crucial that an effective public investigation is conducted
into accusations that AMISOM troops unlawfully killed civilians.
This would send a message to the Somali population that AMISOM is
willing to uphold standards of international humanitarian law, in a
situation where all parties to the conflict have unlawfully killed
civilians with impunity,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty
International’s Africa Programme Deputy Director.
The AMISOM spokesperson denied the force opened fire on civilians,
saying that three civilians were killed and one of their soldiers
injured by an explosion on the Maka Al-Mukarama road that was
targeted at one of their vehicles. However, Amnesty International
has received several reports that AMISOM soldiers fired
indiscriminately in response to the explosion, killing at least 10
civilians on board or boarding buses on that road, and injuring at
least a dozen others. Reports indicate that at least ten bodies with
gunshot wounds were transported to the Medina hospital in the
capital. AMISOM later stated that civilians killed in the incident
were victims of both the explosion and gunfire fired by armed
opposition groups.
An investigation is needed to establish the number and identity of
the civilians killed and injured in the incident, the nature of
their injuries and the sources of the gunfire. If it reveals that
AMISOM soldiers did open fire, the investigation should also
establish whether all feasible precautions were taken to spare
civilian deaths and injuries. Soldiers alleged to have opened fire
should be suspended from duty pending the results of the
investigation and anyone found responsible for violations of
international humanitarian law should be brought to justice.
Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned direct attacks on
civilians and indiscriminate attacks which fail to distinguish
between military objectives and civilians by all parties to the
conflict in Somalia. Armed groups fighting the Somali Transitional
Federal Government (TFG) forces have used explosive devices in
civilian-populated areas and launched attacks from civilian areas,
while TFG forces, militias and their allies have carried out
indiscriminate attacks as well as directly targeted civilians in
response to attacks by armed groups.
Souece:Amnesty International
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