Al-Sharq al-Awsat report Khalid Mahmud in Cairo: “Uways to ‘Al-Sharq al-Awsat’: I Do Not See Any Benefit From Djibouti Negotiations Under Current Conditions. ‘Islamic Courts’ Leader Revealed Existence of Differences Inside Somali Opposition Alliance”

Shaykh Hasan Daher Uways, leader of the Islamic Courts organization and member of the Somali opposition alliance that is based in the Eritrean capital Asmara, has revealed that there are differences inside the opposition.

Uways told Al-Sharq al-Awsat in exclusive statements by telephone:  “Yes, there are differences and the Djibouti negotiations do not have unanimous support.  There is a large group, and I am one of them, which does not believe there is any benefit from them under the current conditions.”  He said the way Ahmed Ould Abdallah, the UN envoy for Somali affairs, is conducting these negotiations “is very bad and will not bring anything positive to the Somalis.”

This is the first time that Uways publicly acknowledges there are differences inside the alliance which includes a mixture of Islamists, secularists, and parliamentarians who had split from the Somali authority.  The alliance was established last year in Asmara under the theme of the “re-liberation of Somalia.”

Uways downplayed the likelihood of a split in the alliance or its breakup because of these differences and said:  “We hope that the stands of everyone inside the alliance are united in fighting the danger threatening the country.”  Though he said he was dismayed by this method of formulating a peace agreement in Somalia, he did however stress that the Asmara alliance would continue to take part in the next round of negotiations in Djibouti and said:  “We are not opposed to negotiations in general but are opposed to the idea of someone forcing us to sit with the agents of occupation as patriots and to try to persuade us to let the Ethiopian occupation forces remain until any peace agreement is reached.”

The next round will be held in Djibouti next week as the latest attempt to end the political crisis in Somalia which has been in an unprecedented state of security and political anarchy since the downfall of late President Mohammad Siad Barre’s regime in 1991.