afrol News, 9 June - A stalemate reached in the Somali peace-talks on Sunday could force international mediators to rethink strategies, especially in fast-tracking the deployment of a UN peace-keeping force.

The dead-lock was reached when both negotiating parties, the Somali transitional government and the opposition, could not reach a compromise on their stand regarding the withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops in Somalia.

The government side feels that Ethiopian troops, who have been in the country since, can only be withdrawn once a credible UN sanctioned peace-keeping force has been deployed, while the opposition, especially the Alliance For The Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), are not backing on their demand for the troops' withdrawal.

The UN envoy in the Somali talks, Mr Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said the mediation efforts were called off, without giving any date for resumption, only confirming that both camps could not be moved on their stand of demands.

However, some observers were still optimistic that a new hope could dawn, especially after the two camps were reported to have held their separate internal debates after official announcement of the stalemate.

Reports pointed out that both camps had continued private talks following the call off, further mentioning that the government authorities had gone to the peace table with differing views.

The talks, which began late last month, were also attended by top leaders of the ARS, but boycotted by hard-liners of the alliance, also causing a split in the opposition.

The Islamist group Al-shaab, a splinter group of the ousted Islamic Courts Union, has also boycotted the talks saying they will not negotiate with Somali government as long as Ethiopian troops and other foreign forces are on Somali soil.

The opposition is reported to have at one stage during the talks withdrawn briefly in protest after Ethiopian ambassador in Djibouti had attended the seminar but returned when the UN mediators had had to ask all ambassadors to vacate.

The Somali transitional government has maintained that the Ethiopian troops have come to Somalia with "the invitation by the legitimate Somali government" to help secure the war that ravaged the Horn of Africa nation.

The Somali and Ethiopian governments say that the Ethiopian troops will only leave when security is restored in the country or when other international forces arrive.

About 2,600 African Union peacekeepers are currently deployed in Mogadishu. The troops, from Uganda and Burundi, are part of a planned UN authorised 8,000-strong African Union peacekeepers.

Amidst the talks that reached a dead-end at weekend, heavy fighting continued in some parts of Somalia taking away more lives and putting the international diplomats in a hostage situation.

At least 28 people were reported killed during clashes between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian troops backing the Somali government over the weekend.

On Sunday at least 12 people were killed in a third consecutive day of heavy fighting near the main Bakara market in the capital, Mogadishu.

An international correspondent and reporter, Nasteh Dahir, was also killed on Saturday by suspected Islamists in the southern port of Kismayo. Mr Dahir was shot in the chest and stomach outside his home in Kismayo, about 500km south of Mogadishu.

The National Union of Somali Journalists has said in a statement that the death was a "targeted assassination" and that the 26-year-old had received death threats earlier.

At least nine other journalists have been killed in Somalia since February 2007, according to human-rights group Amnesty International.

It is estimated that the conflict has created more than one million refugees.

Somalia has experienced almost constant civil conflict since the collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in January 1991.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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