London BBC World Service “Focus on Africa” program (in English) — 1705 GMT

It is probably too early to make any confident predictions about what might happen in Somalia after the death of faction leader General Farah Aidid, who was buried yesterday. It came in the thick of new fighting against his bitter rivals, Ali Mahdi Mohamed and Osman Ato. There were reports that Aidid had been wounded in a battle in Mogadishu. His aides claimed he died of a heart attack. Secondly, there are those, such as the Americans and the United Nations, who think with Aidid gone, there might be a window for peace. After all, he was the man who waged the war against American troops in Mogadishu and killed United Nations peacekeepers. But the question is what do the Somali leaders themselves think? On the line to Mogadishu, Elizabeth Ohene asked the late Gen. Aidid’s interior minister and member of the funeral committee, Mohamed Qanyare Afreh, how they felt about the funeral.

[Begin recording]

[Qanyare] Ah, it was very popular; if you were supposed to be in Mogadishu you must be wondering how people come from their homes and they gathered all the streets and routes and around the grave and it was very, very, very popular.

[Ohene] Now that he is dead, what is your organization going to do?

[Afreh] He was heading the government not an organization. I don’t understand what is the meaning of the organization in that context. He was heading the government. So, you must put clear, Elizabeth, your question very clear.

[Ohene] So, what is the next step for the government, then?

[Qanyare] The government will now conduct according to the constitution in order get a new president for the government.

[Ohene] What? You will be electing a new leader? Would you?

[Qanyare] Yes, the interim charter, Article (763) of paragraph 4 says within seven days must be get new president.

[Ohene] So, who elects the new president then? Who is going to elect him?

[Qanyare] He will be elected by the composition of the leadership council plus cabinet ministers.

[Ohene] Now, other faction leaders have called for a cease-fire. They are saying that maybe, this is time for peace. Is this the time for peace in Somalia now?

[Qanyare] It was time for peace for a long time. They refused the peace. They said they ceased fire, because they were continuing to fire at us. We were not firing except that we defended ourselves. So, they were attacking us every now and then. We were not attacking anything. If we were not attacking anything, we have nothing to stop or nothing to continue.

[Ohene] How do you remember Gen. Aidid? How would you remember him?

[Qanyare] We will always remember him and he will be in our hearts and we will remember as highest as to remember a [words indistinct].

[End recording]

[Announcer] Late Gen. Aidid’s interior minister, Mohamed Qanyare Afreh. Well, Gen. Aidid aides have been insisting that they would continue to follow his policies, but his arch rivals Ali Mahdi and Osman Ato declared unilateral cease-fire yesterday in Mogadishu. On the line to Nairobi, Kadria Ahmed asked Osman Ato. if he saw Gen. Aidid’s death as increasing the prospects of peace.

[Begin recording]

[Ato] Well, a day [words indistinct] really does not contribute peace in Somalia. The peace itself has already been at hand and there are very many Somalis who are working on it. This is why we have got peace initiative, peace at the level of districts and the regions and now to the national.

[Ahmed] You are saying you are sure that nothing in Somalia is likely to change.

[Ato] Well, what I saying is that I am looking forward and we are very optimistic to achieve peace through dialogue and reconciliation among various groups and the factions and this is… [pauses] some steps have. already been taken and we are looking forward that this will continue in the future.

[Ahmed] Now, fingers have been pointed directly at your militia for the shooting of Gen. Aidid. Do you accept responsibility?

[Ato] Pointing finger by one particular group or some particular individuals does not really help the Somali peace. Aidid was among the very many Somalis that had been hurt in the fighting.

[Ahmed] Yes, but can you tell us categorically on this program whether it was militias who were responsible. for this shooting or can you categorically say that no, they were not responsible?

[Ato] I can only tell you that I was not on the site, but, certainly has been hurt in the middle of fighting. Who shot that bullet, I cannot verify.

[Ahmed] You, of course, were with Gen. Aidid before you went your different ways. Are you interested, at all, in occupying this position which he has just left vacant?

[Ato] Well, this depends on the reconciliation of the USC-SNA (United Somali Congress-Somali National Alliance) ) and I believe the choice should be leit to the executive body of the USC-SNA.

[End recording]

_{FBIS-AFR-96-151, 5 Aug. 1996, pp. 11-12.}