London BBC World Service “Focus on Africa” program (in English) — 1505 GMT

A fierce public attack has been launched on General Aidid’s leadership of the Somali National Alliance, SNA. Earlier this year, Aidid fell out with his former financier, Osman Ato, who blames Ai- did for the failure of the Somali factions to come up with a government of national reconciliation, and today Osman Ato seems to have blown any chance of reconciling with Aidid, claiming that Aidid has no place in the SNA. From Mogadishu, our correspondent, Ali Musa Abdi faxed this report:

In a press conference held today in his office, Osman Ato declared that Aidid was not the chairman of any legitimate organization. He said: Aidid’s organization has no central committee, and no constitution. It is quite simply a one-man show. He added: Aidid is pretending to be the president of a nonexistent government. He does not enjoy the support of the Somali people, not even his own clan. The time for tolerance is now over. No single man can dictate Somalia’s future. Osman Ato announced that a congress would soon be held to reorganize the movement, and elect a chairman, and a central executive committee, and he added: Gen. Aidid himself is invited to attend the conference.

During today’s press conference, Osman Ato called on the Somali people and the international community not to recognize Gen. Aidid’s signatures and circulars. He was referring in particular to newly issued circulars in which Gen. Aidid fired both his foreign affairs adviser, Professor Hassan Awale, and his interior secretary, Abdi Hassan Qeybdid. Awale and Qeybdid have decided to ignore Gen. Aidid’s circulars, and they are continuing to work in their offices inside the SNA Headquarters. Awale said: We work for the SNA not for Gen. Aidid, whose authority does not exist anywhere. Apart from criticizing his political activities, Osman Ato has also condemned what he described as Gen. Aidid’s interference in the free market, such as banana exports. He has urged farmers to be aware of what he says are Gen. Aidid’s irregularities.

_{FBIS-AFR-95-089, 9 May 1995, p. 5}