UN official wants inquiry into Somali 'war crimes'

A senior United Nations official has called for an investigation into allegations of war crimes in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, following weeks of fighting that has left more than 1,600 people dead and caused hundreds of thousands to flee. John Holmes, the UN's emergency relief coordinator, who visited Mogadishu on May 12, said there was "clearly a need" for an investigation by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour. Ethiopian tanks and helicopters bombarded Mogadishu residential districts during weeks of fighting in March and April as Somalia's Ethiopian-backed interim government attempted to pacify an insurgency. Civilians were caught in the crossfire of what the Red Cross described as the worst fighting in the capital for 15 years. Human rights groups and regional analysts have accused the government and the Ethiopian forces of committing war crimes. Holmes said Somalia's interim president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, and interim prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, had agreed there should be an investigation. "They accepted it very clearly," he said. Jose Diaz, a spokesman for Arbour, confirmed that the UN was ready to send a team of human rights investigators to Mogadishu. "It is good to hear that this is the government's position. It needs urgent attention," he said. Holmes is the most senior UN official to visit Mogadishu since 1993 but the trip did not go as planned. Three bombs went off on May 12 and a fourth was diffused. "It began to look as if a message was being sent," he said. Planned visits to a hospital plus a tour of the city were canceled.