Children highly affected by increased fighting in the capital Mogadishu
Recent fierce fighting between Somali government forces and armed groups in and around the capital city, Mogadishu, have had a profound impact on its civilians, especially children. With many wounded children in the hospitals, the war in Somalia is taking a great toll on the country's children.
Over the past three weeks, of 1586 weapons-related injuries reported by three major hospitals in Mogadishu, 735 cases or 46% were children under the age of five. Compared to April, the number of children casualties reported was only 3.5%
Children are perhaps the most frequent victims of the conflict. Many have died, many more have lost limbs or try to recover from their gun shot wounds. An estimated 630,000 children have been orphaned by the conflict.
WHO is extremely concerned about this increased high number of casualties under the age of five. As response, WHO organized this week in Banadir Hospital, Mogadishu, a special training on basic and advanced emergency surgical trauma management for children. A total of 40 doctors and nurses participated in both practical and theoretical sessions.
IRIN: Under-fives make up almost half of Mogadishu casualties
In a press statement issued on 31 May, WHO said recent data showed that the main causes of death among under-fives were burns, chest injuries and internal haemorrhaging caused by blast injuries, shrapnel and bullets.
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Marthe Everard, WHO's representative for Somalia, said: "This is the highest number of injured children that has been reported since the beginning of this year."
Fighting between government troops, backed by the African Union Mission in Somalia, and Al-Shabab has intensified in Mogadishu in recent weeks, with government troops trying to dislodge the insurgents from several parts of the city that had been under their control.
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Ahmed Dini of Peaceline, a Somali civil society group that monitors the welfare of children in the country, told IRIN the numbers would be even higher "if you take into consideration that many families are unable to access hospitals and are therefore keeping wounded children at home, taking care of them as best they can.
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Abdirizaq Hassan Ali, head of Mogadishu's Benadir Children's hospital, told IRIN on 31 May that since the beginning of the month, more and more wounded children had been taken to the hospital.
"We are receiving on average 20 to 30 wounded children daily," Ali said.
Previously, he added, the hospital admitted about 10 war-wounded children daily.
Dini said the difference between the latest fighting and past conflict was that "this is more sustained and without let-up. Previously, we have had intense fighting but it would fizzle out after a few days, but now both sides are digging in."
This was anticipated by the UN et al as they organized their propaganda support for AMISOM's bloody urban assault campaign in Mogadishu. So far, the media, internal as well as international, have been basing most of their coverage on official AMISOM press releases and press junkets arranged by public relations staffing, and the focus has largely been on AMISOM's tactical successes in capturing more territory around the market at Bakara - entirely ignoring questions about where in their mandate it provides for waging offensive operations and taking the battle to 'the enemy'. After the growing outcry against the indiscriminate shelling and murder of Somali civilians in and around Bakara market since 2007, keeping tight control of the narrative was deemed crucial in order to get away w/ the inevitable and blatant war crimes that urban warfare requires to 'cleanse' the city of those considered 'not with the program'. Eventually this situation will no longer hold, as the true costs cannot be hidden for long.
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Shabelle Media: Somalia’s ministry of trading warns bombarding Bakaara market
Somalia’s minister of trading on Tuesday warned Somali government forces and African Union peacekeepers in Somalia against decimating the properties of Somali business community by bombarding Mogadishu’s largest and busiest market.-- -- --
Speaking to local media associations, Mohamoud Abdi Garweyne, the minister of trading said that market of Bakaara is the heart of Somalia’s economy and business and activities.
He reiterated fighting at the vicinities of the market may represent a huge blow on the business and the economy in general.
Shabelle Media: Somali forces in Gedo region complain of lack of monthly payments
The military force of Somali transitional federal government in Gedo said they had deserted several areas in the region where they have already confiscated from Al shabaab.
Officials told Shabelle on behalf of Somali forces in Gedo that they did so in protest of lack of monthly payments.
In an interview with Shabelle Media Network, Sahal Moallim Adam said they abandoned the village of Dhamasle in the region because they didn’t get any care and wages.
BBC: Burundi peacekeepers in Somalia 'unpaid'
Burundian soldiers serving with the African Union peace force in Somalia have told the BBC they have not been paid since January.
The five months of arrears total an estimated $20m (£12m) for the nearly 4,000 Burundian peacekeepers.
Burundi's army spokesman Col Gaspard Baratuza said the African Union had paid the money into the Bank of the Republic of Burundi.
But he said the central bank had not disbursed the salaries to the soldiers.
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The BBC's Prime Ndikumagenge in the Burundian capital Bujumbura says the salaries are not paid in Somalia, but directly into their accounts through Burundi's central bank so the soldiers' families can access the money more easily.
Two soldiers, requesting anonymity as they are not allowed to discuss army issues publicly, told the BBC the situation was not sustainable.
"The Amisom force commander from Uganda has told us that the money is being paid on a monthly basis. But in Burundi we do not know where the money is going," one of them told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
"Now our families think we get the money and hide it from them."
They said some soldiers believe the money has been diverted by the government to serve other purposes before being paid to them.
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Col Baratuza, who in an interview with the BBC's Great Lakes Service in April had promised the arrears would be paid that month, said on Wednesday evening the problem would be sorted out soon.
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Shabelle Media: Al shabaab claims deadly suicide attacks on AMISOM in Mogadishu
Al shabaab movement on Tuesday claimed the responsibility of deadly attacks on AMISOM and Somali government forces in the capital Mogadishu.
The spokesman of Al shabaab, Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Rage said that they fighters of theirs attacked AMISOM base Mogadishu’s Makka Al Mukarrama road.
He said that they killed and wounded more thirty soldiers including high ranking officials.
“Eight fighters from the commandos of Al shabaab have conducted the sacred mission against AMISOM” Rage told the local media late on Monday.
For his part, the deputy spokesman of AMISOM forces Prosber Hakazima told the media that at least two of their soldiers were killed and four others injured in those attacks.
Somalia Report: Attack on ASWJ/AMISOM Kills Six, Wounds Six
..Somalia Report has learned that the attack was actually against the Dabka base where ASWJ militia live in one building and AMISOM forces live in another building. The suicide attack by al-Shabaab was directly on the ASWJ forces.
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What might be embarrassing for AMISOM is that this checkpoint is inside the publicized zone of control shown to reporters just five days ago along a major road.
Somalia Report interviewed an ASWJ soldier who said that after the men spilled out of a white mini van, three of the men began firing at the guards until they ran out of ammunition. The joint government forces responded by killing three of the fighters. Two bodies of the militia fighters exploded killing several women and children who were accessing that road. AMISOM forces continued to fire mortars and heavy weapons fooling some people into thinking there were multiple attacks around the city.
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Although the ASWJ took the brunt of the attack it appeared that the goal of the suicide attack was aimed at the Ugandan peacekeepers stationed in Maka Al-Mukarama.
Daily Monitor: Bodies of UPDF soldiers flown home
The bodies of two UPDF peacekeepers killed in Mogadishu by Somali insurgents on Monday were brought home on Tuesday. The army Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye, said yesterday they were working on burial modalities with the families of the fallen soldiers.
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African Union peacekeepers denied they had lost eight soldiers in the attack that has brought the total number of Ugandan soldiers killed in Somalia to 45.
“Who said we lost that number of soldiers? We lost two soldiers on Monday in an al-shabaab attack, one was injured,” Capt. Chris Magezi, the spokesperson of the Ugandan contingent, said yesterday.
New Vision:
[AMISOM spokesperson Maj. Paddy] Ankuda added that it was during the attack that the two soldiers died and one was injured.
He explained that three other soldiers were injured, when the body of one of the suicide bombers exploded.
CNN: FBI investigating reported Somali-American suicide bomber
The FBI is investigating reports that a suicide bomber who killed two African Union soldiers in Mogadishu, Somalia, this week was an American citizen, an FBI spokesman said Thursday.
"We're aware of the bomb that went off in Somalia and we have folks over there and are working with people over there to try to identify the bomber or bombers," said Steve Warfield, a spokesman for the FBI regional office in Minneapolis. "We don't know if there's any (tie) to Minnesota, and we won't know the answer to that until we have official confirmation of who that bomber is."
Somalia Report: TFG Security Heads Meet After Suicide Attack
The President Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) on Tuesday afternoon met with his security team a day after a suicide attack left AMISOM and ASWJ forces dead and others seriously wounded on Monday evening.
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The closed door session lasted for several hours, and afterwards the ministers spoke to members of the press on the issues discussed. The defense minister [Abdihakim Hajji Fiqi] said that the president said there was need for security to be tightened in all the government controlled areas to avoid a repeat of yesterday's incident.
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"No soldier will also be allowed to roam with weapons inside the public controlled zone and if found with it then the soldier risks being arrested fined and later imprisoned," he warned.
"Yesterday was embarrassing to see al-Shabaab extremists dressed in full military gear and the act they committed was barbaric and an act of fear after falling badly in our latest successful offensives," the defense minister admitted.
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In a separate incident today a soldier dressed in full military gear was killed and another seriously wounded after defying orders from the Waberi security forces to stop and surrender their weapons.
The injured soldier was rushed to hospital and will be arraigned in a court of law for defying orders to stop and for carrying weapons in unwanted places, a Senior Police Officer told Somalia Report on the condition of anonymity.
Shabelle Media: Somali official: any soldier harming civilians will be shot dead
The mayor of Mogadishu, Mohamoud Ahmed Nur better known as Tarzan on Wednesday proclaimed that any soldier in the transitional federal government of Somalia is seen harming or bothering the civilian people will be shot dead.
The mayor of Mogadishu and Bendir region governor also warned the weapon traders and the government soldiers, now accustomed to rob buses shuttling through the capital, against continuing what he called their crimes.
Shabelle Media: Somali forces, Al shabaab battle in the capital
Bitter combat between Somali government forces backed by African Union peacekeepers and Al shabaab fighters on Thursday morning broke out in parts of the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses said.
The fighting is said to have erupted after Al shabaab fighters launched attacks on military bases manned by Somali army and AMISOM forces in Mogadishu’s Warshadaha Street.
AFP: 17 die in clashes at Mogadishu's main market
Clashes pitting Somali government forces and their African Union allies against Islamist rebels for control of Mogadishu's main market left at least 17 civilians dead on Thursday, officials said.
Many of the victims died when stray artillery fire hit a bus station.
"At least seventeen civilian dead have been counted so far and nine of them were killed after artillery fire struck a bus station near Arafat hospital," Ali Muse, head of the Mogadishu ambulance service, told AFP.
"Another 46 civilians were injured and the death toll could rise," he said.
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Somali government officials confirmed the fighting and claimed they were advancing onto new positions previously held by the Shebab.
"We have beaten the enemy back and our forces are now advancing onto new positions very close to their last stronghold in Bakara" Somali deputy chief of staff Lieutenant-Colonel Yusuf Dhegobadan, told reporters at the frontline.
"The fighting started last night and is still continuing sporadically around some positions.
"We took control of some key positions this morning ... and penetrated deep into their big trenches," he added.
RBC:
Somalia government officials said on Thursday that they have seized new positions in the capital, Mogadishu from Al-Shabab after fresh battle, RBC Radio reports.
“Our forces today captured Al-Baraka junction near the main market of the city and also the former residential of Somalia police officers” The commanding officer of Somalia military forces, Gen Abdulkarim Yusuf Dhagabadan told reporters at a press conference in Mogadishu.
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Head of Al-Shabab’s Mogadishu administration, Sheikh Mohamed abu Abdurrahman told to Al-Shabab run radio that their fighters will not run quickly but will resist as much as they could, calling the residents of Mogadishu to join what he says was ‘a holy war’ against Uganda and Burundi.
RBC Radio correspondent visited the newly seized bases says he has seen at least five bodies of dead Al-Shabab fighter laying on the ground whom their ages ranged between 12 and 18. The government forces with the backing of African Union troops [AMISOM] are now approaching the market.
RBC: 5 killed in Amisom’s bombardment of north Mogadishu
At least five civilians including a woman were killed and four others wounded as the African Union troops in Somalia [AMISOM] shell Mogadishu’s Yakshid district on Thursday, RBC Radio reports.
An Eyewitness told RBC Radio that at least four persons died after the shelling targeted a crowded teashop in Arafat junction of Yakshid district on the north of Mogadishu.
“I have seen five bodies died in one place after the bombardment pounded the shop. No one escaped.” Abdurrahman Ali an eyewitness told RBC Radio adding that he was waiting a bus in the nearby.
Unnamed health official working with Mogadishu ambulance service confirmed that four persons seriously injured were taken to Daynile hospital.
“They are targeting civilians. This is not good act.” He said.
Shabelle Media: Precarious calm returns to Mogadishu after battle
At least 23 people were killed and more than 37 others injured. Witnesses said that most of the battles rocked some neighborhoods in Mogadishu’s Hodan, Bondhere and Wardhigley districts.
Most of the people [were killed] after several mortar fires hit a bus stop in northeaster Mogadishu.
Gen. Abdikarim Yusuf, the commander of Somali army said that thay managed to dislodge Al shabaab fighters [from] several key bases in Hodan district.
From the UNOCHA's Weekly Humanitarian Bulletin for the week ending June 3rd,
On 2 June, at least 20 people were killed while more than 80 others were wounded following heavy fighting.-- -- --
Reuters: Power-sharing deal may break Somali deadlock
A power-sharing deal might offer Somalia's feuding leaders a way to save face and reach agreement on political reform, the U.N.'s special envoy to the Horn of Africa nation said on Wednesday.
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"The bottom line is that they all want to cling to power. So, around that fundamental issue, could there be a possibility of power-sharing? I don't know," said Augustine Mahiga, the special representative of the U.N. secretary-general.
"Let them believe there is something for all of them, that there is a win-win situation," he said in an interview.
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Mahiga said incentives should be brought to the negotiating table, referring to planned talks in Mogadishu later this month.
Those could include more funds to finance government projects, or handing the government more say in defining the reforms and rewarding good performance, Mahiga said.
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Confident he would not join the diplomats assigned to the Somalia desk who end their mission with their head in their hands, Mahiga, in the job for a year, said he had yet to exhaust his energies but admitted the job was fraught with frustration.
"These are people who have perfected the art of deception and discouragement and making you feel that you are ready to give up."
From the opening remarks by SRSG Mahiga at the ICG meeting in Kampala
I have called this meeting to help break the political impasse and ask this ICG meeting to collectively urge the political leadership in Mogadishu to agree on how to end the current transition and commit themselves on the way forward.
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I am requesting this ICG meeting to lend its full support to the position of the Security Council and to use the rare joint presence of the President and the Speaker at this meeting to muster their political will to arrive at an understanding to make the Mogadishu meeting a landmark success in the Somali peace process. It can be an opportunity to strike a win-win compromise between the executive, Parliament and above all, the Somali people.
I have flagged to the Security Council and I also wish to propose to this meeting that in order to secure compliance from the future TFIs on implementing transitional tasks we, together with the TFIs should agree on a set of implementable benchmarks, timelines, a monitoring mechanism and mutual obligations in achieving the transitional tasks. Above all, I agree with the proposal that in addition to a coordination and monitoring mechanisms, we need a collective political undertaking in the region to ensure accountability of the TFIs to a regional political body which has successfully been tried in situations like that of Burundi. This approach has never been tried before in respect of Somalia and left the TFIs obligations to meet the transitional tasks open ended. Consequently, we have lost seven precious years of non-compliance without achieving transitional tasks spelled out in the Transitional Federal Charter and the Djibouti Agreement.
UNPOS in consultation with the Department of Political Affairs in New York, the African Union and IGAD is preparing a Roadmap with benchmarks, timelines and compliance requirements which we intend to be basis for discussion with the TFIs in the forthcoming meeting in Mogadishu. We shall continue to discuss extensively with partners on this Roadmap and seek to obtain consensus on its feasibility and application in the next political dispensation once agreement is reached to overcome the current political impasse.
Daily Monitor: Museveni says UPDF could leave Somalia
President Museveni yesterday warned that Uganda would withdraw its troops from Mogadishu if UN-pushed presidential and parliamentary elections in Somalia spark renewed assault by al-Shabaab militants.
“This may allow the extremists to re-organise and cause problems, and also undermine the battlefield gains we have made. We can’t allow to be in that situation,” he said at the ongoing 19th International Contact Group on Somalia conference in Kampala.
“If the current system collapses, or if it is seriously undermined, we can have no justification to stay in that situation—we will leave Somalia,” he added.
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The Ugandan military says it has some 5,000 peacekeepers fighting al Shabaab in Mogadishu and expect to add 2,000 more at the end of this month. Such a decision, however, now hangs in balance following increasing difference in opinion, including of the UN Security Council, on resolving Somalia’s political question.
President Museveni told the conference that the mandate of the Sheik Sharif-led Transitional Federal Government (TFG) - due to expire in two months - should instead be extended by a year.
“We believe that to have a win-win situation, we should allow the TFG complete their tasks, after all Somalia has been unstable for the last two decades. Why should one year be a big issue?”
AFP:
Somali president Sharif echoed Museveni's calls for an extension to the mandate in a speech to the meeting.
"If we have an option to deal with the security situation then why should we stop now and lose momentum," he said.
"The best option is to give parliament and government a 12-month extension," he said.
RBC:
Somalia Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (aka known as Farmajo) has hailed the suggestions from Ugandan president Yuweri Museveni on which he supported the extension of one year mandate to Somalia’s federal institutions.
“We fully welcome the suggestions from our brother the president of Uganda Mr. Museveni to endorse the extension of one year to our national institutions.” The prime minister said in a interview with the state run radio on Friday.
New Vision:
Museveni said the troop contributing countries have a rightful stake in the stablisation of Somalia and, therefore, Uganda and Burundi should be consulted when key decisions on the country are being made.
“I appeal to our Somali brothers and sisters to help us so that we help them. We don’t have interests in Somalia beyond our ideological Pan African interest,” Museveni said.
The President pointed out that while Africans are polite and reluctant to interfere in internal affairs of other countries, the phenomenon of exporting terrorism to the continent and the fluid situation in Somalia compelled Uganda’s intervention.
He particularly attacked extremists for trying to impose a way of life on Somalis.
“We don’t accept bigotry. Like these idiots called al-shabaab… they don’t shave beards… go and play those foolish games in the Middle East and not here. We went to Somalia to help our brothers live in peace.
“These extremists, we have taught them a lesson,” he said in reference to the gains AMISOM has achieved in the past months, including capturing new territory.
Somalia president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed supported the proposal by President Museveni, describing him as a leader who has “deep understanding of the situation in Somalia.”
“President Museveni’s suggestion of extending all TFIs is a nice position that is logical and we support it. Democracy and election is something we also support 100 percent, but we need time to prepare ground for it,” Sharif said.
From Puntland's Farole in his presentation before the ICG:
The Puntland Government requests an AMISOM peacekeeping contingent to be deployed in Puntland to establish a Joint Force and to begin training security forces inside Puntland.-- -- --
Shabelle Media: Mogadishu heavy shelling leaves 8 dead
After bitter fighting pitting Somali forces backed by African Union forces and Al shabaab, heavy shelling were indiscriminately pounded some of Mogadishu neighborhoods.and
At least 8 civilian people were killed and 15 others injured in the haphazard shelling, according to local residents.
Jungal, Siisii and Fagah neighborhoods had been the worst after a lot of artillery shelling hit there.
Local inhabitants told Shabelle that a number of volleys of artillery shelling landed at Suqa Holaha neighborhood.
Mass displacement was reported Sunday from parts of northern Mogadishu escaping from the indiscriminate bombardment.
Prosper Hakizimana,the deputy spokesman for African Union forces in Somalia denied they have pounded artlly barrages on the residential areas in the capital.
A number of volleys of artillery shelling on Sunday killed at least one person and injured six others in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses said.HOL: Mogadishu’s Sunday of More Death and Destruction
The indiscriminate shelling landed at a very populated market in the sea-resort district of Hamarweyne just southeast of Mogadishu.
Witnesses told Shabelle Media Network that the one who died in the shelling was a woman came to the market for some shopping.
All injured in haphazard artillery bombardment were taken to the medical facilities in the capital.
At least 10 died and more than 20 others injured on Sunday night following artillery shelling conducted by forces of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and backed by contingents of African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as battle for Somalia’s capital Mogadishu rages on. TFG and allied forces reportedly bombarded, for the second night in a row, the districts of Kaaraan, Yaaqshiid and Huriwaa leading to more bloody destructions including death of young children as reliable sources indicated.-- -- --
Eye witnesses told Hiiraan Online that civilians have started fleeing the three settlements following last night’s raid which is part of an ongoing military activity between and TFG and Al-shabaab fighters. "There was endless bombardment against Kaaraan village last night, six people were killed in the settlement including children, 10 others were injured during the heavy artillery fire” one villager told HOL on condition of anonymity. Four others died in Yaaqshiid and Huriwaa in a separate shelling where scores of others sustained serious injuries as fierce fighting intensifies in Mogadishu’s northern districts. The injured are undergoing treatment at various hospitals within the capital. Our sources said the injured victims included a number of women and children.
A spokesman for AMISOM forces told the local media that the shelling last night was aimed at some strategic and military positions of insurgency group Al-Shabaab who are fighting an all-out battle to secure previous lost positions and strongholds within the restive capital. Al-shabaab fighters are yet to give statement concerning last night’s raid that has lead to more frustration for the people of Mogadishu.
Over the past few days, much of the fighting was around the Northern neighborhood of the Coastal capital of the Horn of Africa nation where Al-shabaab fighters are reportedly regrouping as TFG gradually gains the upper hand yet civilians have been hiding in their homes or fleeing the fighting.
RBC: Interim Prime Minister says traditional elders will take over the power on August
Somalia interim Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed says that his government will hand over the country’s decision to the traditional elders if the leaders of the Transitional Federal Government do not reach consensus on the main political disagreements.
“We want make clear that the decision will given back to the traditional elders if the national leaders do not reach any agreement over the disputed issues on the mandate of the government.” the prime minister said on Sunday during a meeting organized by the civil society groups held in Mogadishu.
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“The local elders have the right to decide if the politicians do not agree with one common position.” Somalia prime minister added.
Shabelle Media: Somali leader, parliament speaker meet in Kampala
As efforts to settle-down the deteriorating bickering are underway, the president of Somali transitional federal government of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and the speaker of the parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adam on Sunday met in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.
The meeting, which was very crucial, discussed ways to compromise the two Somali leaders as the journalists were not able to get access in it.
Augustine P. Mahiga has also attended the meeting to mediate between the two leaders.
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