Massacre in Mogadishu: African Union forces to blame?

At least 18 civilians were killed in Mogadishu, Somalia on Feb. 2 when African Union troops apparently fired on nearby vehicles after their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb. The AU force's spokesman has denied that the shooting even took place, but Somali officials insist that as many as 40 were killed and many more injured. Police commander Yusuf Dhumal said the troops even fired at buses following the blast in southern Mogadishu. Dhumal told Agence France Presse, "This is a tragedy. What happened this afternoon indicates a complete irresponsibility and it will not be tolerated. "I counted 18 dead civilians who were killed by them after spraying fire on the buses." Mogadishu deputy mayor Abdifatah Shaweye said "the number of innocent civilians they killed after the explosion exceeded 20." Major Bahuko Baridgye, the spokesman of the AU forces, denied the charges and said earlier that three civilians died in the explosion that also wounded four others. "The information we got indicates that three civilians died in the explosion and one of our soldiers was lightly injured. The vehicle was also slightly damaged," Bridgye told AFP. "Our forces did not open fire on people." But the Deputy Governor of the region that includes Mogadishu told the local news organization Shabelle Media Network that more than 40 civilians were killed. A spokesman for the Hawiye clan, the principal ethnic group in the area of Mogadishu, specifically blamed the Ugandan contingent of the AU force for the deaths.