European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 6, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday january 6. 1993 Somalia the stars and stripes 0 key clan blames . As talks turn match timely handout an emaciated somalian boy in Mogadishu receives crackers and water monday from a Marine Herman Salazar of North water Calif. The youngster wandered Over to the marines from a crowd of somalis gathered at the City sport asking for Ababa Ethiopia a a meeting of Somalia a factions full into disarray tuesday with shouted arguments and insults punctuating their failure to agree on a procedure for a nation no reconciliation conference. The .-sponsored meeting was the largest gathering of somalian groups since the country disintegrated two years ago leading to the deaths of More than 350,000 people from War and drought last year. More than 2 million people arc thought to be still at risk of starvation and disease. One of the two major clans that control the somalian capital Mogadishu launched a bitter attack on the United nations saying the world body was extraordinarily ignorant. The clan led by Gen. Mohamed Farrah aided has accused the United nations of siding with aided a a rival Ati Mahdi Mohamed. The criticism which came in a statement circulated by aided a a somali National Alliance was among the matters prompting heated debate in a dosed door meeting among the 14 factions invited conference sources said. The three hour session initially bogged Down Over the question of who would chair it and it failed to move on to questions surrounding the proposed National reconciliation conference the sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity. There was no discussion of when or where a or even whether a to hold the More comprehensive conference. . Secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali had said earlier that the present conference was convened to resolve such matters. His leadership came under harsh attack from aided a a group which said . Bureaucrats from the Secre tary general Down have failed to demonstrate an understanding of Somalia s political problems. Boutros Ghali told Abc tvs night Tine show late monday from Addis Ababa a i done to know if they the somalian leaders arc ready to Compromise but they arc ready to talk to each asked if . Forces might be Able to leave Somalia soon he said that if the faction leaders Quot agree on an Agenda and that they will respect a close firc then they . Forces will be Able to leave Mogadishu and Somalia Quot but supposing that they arc not Able to agree and they May have More confrontations then we Wilt need a stronger United a unified a command presence a the , chief told Abc. Several participants branded aided a a faction As the main stumbling Block to Progress. Aided and his aides were in meetings and were unavailable for cosh mint. Aden Abdullah Noor chairman of the somali patriotic movement said All factions but aided s were nearing agreement on a cease fire to be followed by withdrawal into the Home areas of their respective clans. Aided a a faction which holds Large Terri lories outside its Homeland rejected the proposal arguing for a cease fire in place Abdullah said. Mohamed Ali Mohamed an official of Ali Mahdi a group said he favored extending the conference a which had been scheduled to last two Days and end tuesday a if necessary. He said the involvement of the International Community presented a unique Opportunity. Quot before the Only Way we could talk was with a gun a he said. Quot this is a Golden Opportunity and we must not lose it a Sailor bewilder awes his former countrymen by Joseph Owen staff writer Bairoa Somalia a Many somalis tried to flee War and starvation in their country last year but for Abdul Elmi the crisis was a Cue to return Home for the first time in a decade. Elmi 23, a . Navy Boatswain a mate is in the somalian Interior City of Bairoa with the marines regimental combat team 7, and is working with the army in psychological operations. As Marine convoys deliver food to villages in the Bairoa Region Elmi using a Public address system tells villagers How to form food lines. He also translates the military a newspaper for somalis called Rajo which Means a . Citizen since 1988, Petty officer 3rd class Elmis attitudes about the disaster seem far More american than somalian. For example he places no value on clan affiliation. A the Only Way Somalia is going to help itself is if it becomes one nation instead of All these clans Quot Elmi said. Quot every time i go out into town and talk to the people the first question they ask is a what a your clan name?1 that a the first question. 1 Tell them in a not tribe. In a simply however Elmi has Learned he is related to a key clan figure in the country a 2-year-old civil War. Col Omar Jess whose forces controlled the Southern port City of Kismay until . Troops arrived there last month is Elmis first Cousin. His religion also piques the locals interest. A they say a Why Are you Here with these christians Are you Christian a a a he remains a practising Muslim. Elmi was born in 1969, the youngest of his fathers eight children by two wives in Ethiopia s Ogaden Region Home of Many ethnic somalis. However at that time Elmi had a different name. Quot actually i had a longer name but nobody could pronounce it a he said adding that a . Immigration official advised him to alter his original name Abdul Kadi Cilmi. War broke out Between Somalia anti Ethiopia Over the Ogaden and one result was that ethiopians shot film in a parents to death at Home in 1977. Elmi was Home with his sister at the time but they escaped. A they were coming in the House and we left a he every time i go out into town and talk to the people the first question they ask is Quot what s your clan name Quot that a the first question. I Tell them in a not tribe. I m simply somali Abdul Elmi . Navy Boatswain s Mato said. Quot when we heard the shots we the two fled to Mogadishu Somalia a coastal capital where they lived with Elmis Brothers. He stayed there until he was 13. Then the family moved to san Jose Calif., when the . Government offered Asylum to him and two Brothers. They lived on welfare for to years. A a a the oldest brother went to work for ism. The nod one Mustafa Elmi went into the Navy and now is stationed in Naples Italy. Abdul Elmi followed joining the Navy after High school graduation in 1988. His current Home duly ration is Norfolk va., where he is assigned to the amphibious assault ship Nassau. A port Call in Mombasa Kenya was tic closest he had come to revisiting Somalia until now summoned to help with operation restore Hope because of his language skills Elmi arrived in Mogadishu on dec. 10. The Indian Ocean port once a resort with facilities comparable to Cairo a Egypt now is a dangerous debris strewn disease Ridden hell. At first he was an interpreter for . Officers who met with clan leaders in the Northern part of the City. Those trips took him through the so called Quot red zone Quot a no Man s land of destroyed buildings that Mark the Boundary Between warring factions. The two family House in who Civ he once lived with his Brothers is destroyed he said. While Elmi was being interviewed in Bairoa on monday outside his Stone House quarters near the City a Airfield a somalian Man who had just harvested grass As fodder at the City a marketplace asked him Lor something to drink Elmi gave him a half bottle of Mineral water with Orange and Cherry Flavoured powder added the Man thanked him deferentially. The marines also address it i with respect a they treat me like an officer like in a somebody special a he said. Quot Elmi plans to leave the Navy in four months. He has passed a test to become a Virginia state police officer and plans to enter a police Academy. But he that while he keeps the peace in America life in Somalia May never return to Normal "1 think the first thing to do is confiscate All the weapons Here go on a House to House search a he said. But he added that a member of the United somali a Congress a clan based organization told him that us fighters have countless weapons wrapped in plastic and buried in secret locations. A the said once we All go out the United states a All come Back out with their weapons a Elmi said
