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MOGADISHU - Leaders of the dominant clan in Somalia's violence-torn capital said today a shaky, three-day-old ceasefire remained in place after talks with Ethiopian soldiers who back the interim government.
Hawiye elders have been negotiating with the government and Ethiopian military since about 20 people died last week in the worst violence in Mogadishu since a war to oust militant Islamists began earlier this year.
The upsurge in violence, which saw some dead soldiers dragged through the streets, came after the government launched a campaign to disarm parts of Mogadishu.
Hawiye clan elder and spokesman Ahmed Diriye Diriye said the disarmament plan was on hold following orders from Addis Ababa, but said: "The ceasefire is still in place."
Diriye also said the government had been urged to send back troops that had come from the northern province of Puntland, another bone of contention for Mogadishu residents.
Pacifying Mogadishu is a momentous task for the interim government, which ended six months of Islamist rule in the city with the help of Ethiopia's military in a two-week offensive at the end of 2006.
The government, headed by President Abdullahi Yusuf from the Darod clan, is facing an insurgency from Islamists and clan militia in the coastal capital.
Belarus said a missile downed a plane and killed 11 of its nationals on board after takeoff from Mogadishu on Friday.
If insurgents were responsible, it would be their biggest strike yet and a violation of the ceasefire, but the Somali government said it looked more like an accident.
Hawiye leaders also met during the weekend with officials from an African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Somalia, which is made up of 1200 soldiers from Uganda.
"AU officials introduced themselves, shared with the Hawiye leaders their mission's mandate and told them that they want a stable Somalia," said one person at the meeting, who asked not to be named.
The formation of Yusuf's government is the 14th attempt to restore central rule to Somalia since 1991. He has called a national reconciliation conference for April 16, but it will depend on security in the city for it to be held.
- REUTERS
