Taming Mogadishu no easy task for new president

By Kieran Murray

MOGADISHU (Reuters): The city lies in ruins, young militiamen roam the streets on the orders of nefarious warlords, there is no police force and he has no money.

Somalia's new president, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, faces huge challenges in taming Mogadishu and asserting control over the nation after a decade of civil war and militia rule.

In his favor, his election last month by a new parliament- in- exile has drawn international support and great enthusiasm from most of Mogadishu's residents.

More than 100,000 people turned out to greet him when he briefly visited the city before going on an international tour in search of diplomatic and financial support.

Business leaders and Islamic clerics are behind him and the warlords have lost much of their influence among people tired of the clan fighting that has wrecked the nation.

But few capitals rival the lawlessness of Mogadishu, a once beautiful city of 1.5 million people where virtually every man has a gun and those who own most weapons wield most power.

Youngsters toting assault rifles slalom at high speed through the streets in "technicals" -- trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns -- and fighting between rival militias erupts without warning.

Abdiqassim Salad's first task is to demobilize and disarm the gunmen, making Mogadishu safe enough to reopen its air and sea ports and establish his government.

The demobilization process began at the weekend with hundreds of militiamen joining a new force that will pay them a salary and, once the government is in place, train them as policemen.

Businessmen believe many clan-based militiamen will switch sides this week but predictably the warlords dismiss such talk and say they will not allow Abdiqassim Salad to take office.

"We will stop him. If they fight, they will lose and many people will die," said Muse Sudi Yalahow, whose forces occupy strategic ground above the airport and seaport.

Abdiqassim Salad says he has no interest in imposing his government by force but some of his allies privately concede he may be forced to either take on the warlords militarily or buy them off with government posts.

That would further complicate the delicate job of picking a government that satisfies Somalia's main clans, all of which want the influence and opportunities for patronage that come with ministerial posts.

Abdiqassim Salad has no state or party institutions to base his power on an, without a penny in state coffers he may be vulnerable to pressure from those who finance him.

At the moment he depends on businessmen and religious leaders but their agendas differ -- the businessmen want minimal interference in the economy and the clerics want an Islamic government that imposes sharia law.

Although Abdiqassim Salad enjoys wide support now, his honeymoon period may not last long.

"All these groups will look at the deal in a few months to see whether it benefits them or not. If things have not moved fast enough or they don't get what they wanted, that's when trouble will start," said one regional analyst.

"It is a huge uphill struggle and it is going to take some extraordinary leadership."

With the exception of a few sectors like telecoms or banking, Mogadishu's economy is in tatters and much of the city needs to be almost entirely rebuilt.

Former factories, government ministries, hotels and apartment blocks either lie in rubble or have been stripped of everything and are now occupied by refugees.

And that is just the capital.

Towns across the country have been similarly devastated and Abdiqassim Salad faces stiff resistance from the northern regions of Somaliland and Puntland which have set up their own governments and insist they will not surrender their autonomy now to a central government.

"Even if this new faction succeeds in restoring law and order and imposing its will in Mogadishu, we will consider it only a regional administration, not a national government," said Puntland's leader, Abdullahi Yusuf.