Osman Ali Atto
Encyclopedia
Osman Hassan Ali Atto (born 1940) is a Somali
warlord, affiliated with the Somali National Alliance
.
clan, sub-clan Habar Gedir (sub-clan Sa'ad and the hiloowle and was born in 1945. Atto is his nickname meaning "skinny". Osman Ali Atto is a former main financier of the Aidid
faction, a multi-millionaire businessman, alleged arms dealer and drug trafficker. Atto owns the biggest landed property in Somalia, including many of the buildings in Mogadishu
which are rented to relief agencies and the media. Before the Civil War, Atto was a chauffeur to various representatives for the US oil company Conoco
.
Osman Ali Atto has 22 children. Atto derives significant profits from a tanker-trucking company which operates from a strategically situated truck yard at Eldoret
, in north-western Kenya
. From there, Atto ships gasoline to Burundi
, Rwanda
and Uganda
. This business is allegedly operated by his relatives. In addition to his Somali passport, Atto uses passports from Kenya
, the United States and possibly Italy.
from close relatives based in Kenya.
Osman Ali Atto was already wealthy and strategically well positioned when the civil war
started in the spring of 1990. Atto had also been involved with the construction industry. He had been able to acquire trucks and heavy construction machinery, making him the only Somali capable of being a reliable contractor for construction projects by Western companies. Among the Somali country managers of international oil companies, Atto was known as "Monsieur Dozer" because of his ability to cut through the most difficult territory and establish access roads to remote sites. His monopoly made him powerful before other warlords started to ascend. He used this power to become the right hand of general Mohammed Aidid of the USC
faction in Mogadishu
.
In 1992, Osman Ali Atto helped pave the way for the food airlift and later the American troop landing. He was the Americans' main contact and negotiator with General Mohammed Aidid and Aidid's most important financial backer. Within half a year as the tension escalated and the United Nations
began an all-out assault against General Aidid, the American military bombed Osman Ali Atto's garages, destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars of bulldozers and other equipment as well as equipment that gave him the ability to build technicals
. American military officials described him as "General Aidid's evil genius." As they searched for Aidid, the American military arrested and imprisoned Osman Ali Atto. In prison on an island off the coast of Somalia for four months, he suffered from malnutrition and severe neglect, former Western diplomats in Somalia say. A year and a half after his release, Osman Ali Atto's garages were running and making technicals
(pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns) again.
The event has received much attention in the media: The abduction by Task Force Ranger took place on September 21, 1993, from a location near Digfer Hospital. The rangers had made an earlier attempt at Atto's capture, but missed him by seconds. Atto would later be interviewed by CNN
. In a speech at a church in Daytona, in January 2002, William Boykin, responsible for the operation, recounted, "There was a man in Mogadishu named Osman Atto... He went on CNN and he laughed at us, and he said, 'They'll never get me because Allah
will protect me.'" The arrest was portrayed in the film Black Hawk Down.
On 7/9/1994 the Lower Jubba Peace Conference lead to a peace agreement signed by Osman Ali Atto as the SNA
representative and by general Hersi Morgan of the SNF
. However, general Hersi Morgan's adversaries in Lower Jubba
, the Absame clan, did not take part, making the peace accord stillborn.
In late 1994, Osman Atto's car drove over a land mine and broke both his feet.
. Aidid's self-declared government was not recognised internationally and was unable to administer the portion of the city it claimed to control. Fighting between the forces of Osman Ali Atto and of General Aidid in South Mogadishu
lead to 200 dead between April and June 1996 and 150 in July 1996. A son of Atto was shot by a sniper in the so-called "banana war". Aidid was wounded and died of his injuries on 1 August in that same year. His son Hussein Mohamed Farrah
succeeded him.
On April 27, 1996, the faction of the United Somali Congress/Somali National Army (USC
/SNA
) which supported Osman Ali Atto decided on a programme to enforce the sharia
(Islamic court and laws) in southern Mogadishu, where Atto's forces were trying to impose control. A committee was nominated to prepare the installation of Islamic courts and an appeal was issued to Islamic leaders to decide on the religious personalities most suited to head these courts. Islamic courts were already in place in the northern part of Mogadishu
controlled by Ali Mahdi Mohammed, Osman Ali Atto's new ally.
After the death of Aidid, fighting continued between Osma Ali Atto and Aidid's successor:
), accompanied by about 50 militiamen, attacked the compound of the NGO Action Internationale contre la Faim
(ACF) in Mogadishu south. A local warlord (Osman Ali Atto) is believed to have ordered that attack. Two international staff members (French administrator Francoise Deutsch, 46, and British logistician Jonathan Ward, 31) of ACF
were taken hostage. They were only released after the International Committee of the Red Cross
intervened on their behalf."
Militiamen loyal to Osman Ali Atto are alleged to be responsible for a July 14, 2001 ambush of a World Food Programme
(WFP) relief convoy near Mogadishu, in which six persons were killed.
The 2002 USA Country Report on Human Rights Practices reported that no actions were taken by the end of 2002 against the militiamen who were said to be responsible.
Leaders included the head of the autonomous region of Puntland, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, and General Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan
as well as Generals Aden Abdullahi Nur Gabyow and Hassan Mohamed Nur. They were meeting other faction leaders from Mogadishu including Mohammed Farah Aidid, Osman Hassan Atto and Musa Sudi Yalahow
who had announced that they had resolved their differences.
President Moi
convened a round of reconciliation talks among Somali leaders in Kenya, from 13 to 24 December 2001, at the conclusion of which three separate agreements were signed between the Transitional National Government
(TNG) and the opposition groups represented there, including: the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council, led by Osman Ali Atto (none of the five co-chairmen of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council was present); the United Somali Congress
/Somali Salvation Alliance, led by Omar Muhamoud Finnish
; and the United Somali Congress
/Somali National Alliance
. The three near-identical agreements called for an all-inclusive government to be formed within one month, with the Transitional National Government
proposing to the Transitional National Assembly.
In the course 2001 the TNG, led by President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan
, had brought on board two of the five faction leaders based in Mogadishu, originally opposed to it. In December 2000, Hussein Haji Bod reached an agreement with the TNG, and in February 2001, Mohamed Afrah Qanyare
joined the TNG as Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Osman Ali Atto held several positive discussions with the President and provided the TNG with technical assistance in the "Clean-up of Mogadishu” campaign. The other two faction leaders in Mogadishu - Mohammed Farah Aidid and Musa Sudi Yalahow
- continued to challenge the authority of the TNG.
Ali Atto signed the Nakuru
peace deal on a national unity government in December 2001.
In the middle of January 2002 Osman Ali Atto also announced that he was taking the side of the government but keeping forces loyal to him. He did not disclose his motives but reportedly he had been persuaded to do so by mediators of Ali Mahdi Mohammed who had gone into the shadow but still remained in touch. Many analysts believed that the government was formed largely thanks to the support of Ali Mahdi Mohammed. It was he who helped President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan
by placing about 10,000 loyal militants under his command.
(TFG), replacing the Transitional National Government
(TNG) of Somalia by appointing cabinet ministers in November 2004. One of his appointments was Osman Ali Atto as minister of housing and public works.
In 2006 Osman Ali Atto was involved in peace efforts between TFG and ICU. Atto is of the same clan (the Saad sub-clan of Habar Gedir) as his former (Aidid) comrade-in-arms Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdiid, a warlord whose militia lost their checkpoints. Atto said Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdiid should recognize the legitimacy of Islamic Courts Union as new ruler in the capital. He told the media that he welcomed the operations by ICU to the eradication of all illegal checkpoints formed in and out of the capital.
Following the success of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council in taking Mogadishu, and the entry of Ethiopian troops into Somalia, members of the transitional government started to resign. Before the resignations started, the government consisted of 42 full minsters and a further 60 assistant ministers. On July 27, 2006 19 ministers resigned including minister Osman Ali Atto. Atto said he came back from the capital with an agreement from the Islamic courts that fresh talks be held. But he said that Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi was "an obstacle to progress" and had refused to listen.
On May 30 he was kidnapped by the Islamic Courts Union who are waging an insurgency against the Ethiopian troops and the Somali government Soldiers. Osman was kidnapped by Insurgents manning a checkpoint while he was driving to Mogadishu. The Islamic Courts later released him.
in 1992) to the President of the Security Council (dated 25 March 2003) Osman Ali Atto is described as an individual who exemplifies "the interaction between looting and the exploitation of Somalia's ressources and infrastructure and the financing of warfare".
According to this document Atto used the income from airports, check-points, drug-dealing, arms-smuggle, asset stripping
and kidnapping to purchase arms and finance his militias.
, which accounts for 30 to 50 per cent of the total income for each airport. Daynile airport, located near Mogadishu, generates an estimated $1.5 million in revenues each year. In 2006, shares of those revenues are said to be split between the Mohamed Qanyare Afrah, Osman Ali Atto and the other two shareholders Omar Muhamoud Finnish
and the Ifka Halane sharia court.
Checkpoints are spread throughout Somalia, and particularly in central and southern Somalia. They are one of the most immediate sources of cash for warlords. They have been in existence in Somalia since the early 1990s, when the civil war erupted and warlords and clans started to seek sources of revenue to allow them to buy arms and ammunition and other supplies that would permit them to continue fighting. Before the collection of revenues from airports and seaports started, checkpoints were the fastest and probably the easiest way to collect regular and substantial amounts of money. They continue to provide hard currency on a daily basis, enabling warlords
to have enough cash on hand to purchase arms, ammunition and khat supplies for the militias. There are approximately 32 checkpoints in the Bay region, compared with about 51 in the Mogadishu area alone. Checkpoints in the Madina district of Mogadishu, Darmoole (a road between Mogadishu
and Balad
) and at Balad
(a town about 30 kilometres north of Mogadishu) provide Muse Sudi Yalahow, the
dissident TFG Minister of Commerce and member of the Mogadishu-based opposition, with approximately $1.3 million a year. This amount is exceeded by the approximate $4.3 million that are collected annually by Osman Hassan Ali (Atto), at Afgooye, a town located about 30 kilometres west of Mogadishu.
was the currency by which the warlord's men were paid, and since it suppresses natural appetite, actual food distributed to the men could be that much less. The real beneficiaries of the trade in khat were the warlords. Khat was bleeding the economy dry as most of Somalia's currency wound up in the hands of the warlords or left the country to pay for khat's importation from Kenya and Ethiopia. It also left the Somalis literally bleeding when vicious street fighting erupted between rival warlords
over the control of its distribution. The industry leader during the early nineties' crisis was Osman Atto, when he was 2nd in command to Mohammed Farah Aidid. Aidid thus became the strongest warlord.
Hashish
from Asian countries was smuggled into Kenya and Tanzania on Somali vessels and small boats. Osman Hassan Ali Atto was said to be involved in this trade. Information indicates that they recently exported more than 400 kilograms of hashish to neighbouring countries. There has also been information about marihuana plantations in Camba, Jilib and Merere in the Jubba Valley
region.
and responsible for significant asset-stripping (looting) during the war.
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
warlord, affiliated with the Somali National Alliance
Somali National Alliance
The Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
.
Background
He is a member of the Somali HawiyeHawiye
The Hawiye is a Somali clan. Members of the clan primarily live in central and southern Somalia, in the Ogaden and the North Eastern Province , and in smaller numbers in other countries. Like many Somalis, Hawiye members trace their ancestry to Irir Samaale...
clan, sub-clan Habar Gedir (sub-clan Sa'ad and the hiloowle and was born in 1945. Atto is his nickname meaning "skinny". Osman Ali Atto is a former main financier of the Aidid
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
General Mohamed Ali Farrah Aidid was a controversial Somali military leader, often described as a warlord. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress and later led the Somali National Alliance...
faction, a multi-millionaire businessman, alleged arms dealer and drug trafficker. Atto owns the biggest landed property in Somalia, including many of the buildings in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
which are rented to relief agencies and the media. Before the Civil War, Atto was a chauffeur to various representatives for the US oil company Conoco
Conoco Inc.
Conoco Inc. was an American oil company founded in 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Company. It is now a brand of gasoline and service station in the United States which belongs to the ConocoPhillips Company...
.
Osman Ali Atto has 22 children. Atto derives significant profits from a tanker-trucking company which operates from a strategically situated truck yard at Eldoret
Eldoret
Eldoret is a town in western Kenya and the administrative centre of Uasin Gishu District of Rift Valley Province. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2100 metres above sea level at the airport to more than 2700 metres in nearby areas...
, in north-western Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. From there, Atto ships gasoline to Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. This business is allegedly operated by his relatives. In addition to his Somali passport, Atto uses passports from Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, the United States and possibly Italy.
During the first years of the Somali civil war
Atto was a manager of a US-oil company during the Civil War. Later he founded his own oil-company and he reportedly acquired a stake in the Bluebird Aviation during the early 1990s in order to import khatKhat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
from close relatives based in Kenya.
Osman Ali Atto was already wealthy and strategically well positioned when the civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
started in the spring of 1990. Atto had also been involved with the construction industry. He had been able to acquire trucks and heavy construction machinery, making him the only Somali capable of being a reliable contractor for construction projects by Western companies. Among the Somali country managers of international oil companies, Atto was known as "Monsieur Dozer" because of his ability to cut through the most difficult territory and establish access roads to remote sites. His monopoly made him powerful before other warlords started to ascend. He used this power to become the right hand of general Mohammed Aidid of the USC
United Somali Congress
The United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
faction in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
.
In 1992, Osman Ali Atto helped pave the way for the food airlift and later the American troop landing. He was the Americans' main contact and negotiator with General Mohammed Aidid and Aidid's most important financial backer. Within half a year as the tension escalated and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
began an all-out assault against General Aidid, the American military bombed Osman Ali Atto's garages, destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars of bulldozers and other equipment as well as equipment that gave him the ability to build technicals
Technical (fighting vehicle)
A technical is a type of improvised fighting vehicle, typically a civilian or military non-combat vehicle, modified to provide an offensive capability similar to a military gun truck...
. American military officials described him as "General Aidid's evil genius." As they searched for Aidid, the American military arrested and imprisoned Osman Ali Atto. In prison on an island off the coast of Somalia for four months, he suffered from malnutrition and severe neglect, former Western diplomats in Somalia say. A year and a half after his release, Osman Ali Atto's garages were running and making technicals
Technical (fighting vehicle)
A technical is a type of improvised fighting vehicle, typically a civilian or military non-combat vehicle, modified to provide an offensive capability similar to a military gun truck...
(pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns) again.
The event has received much attention in the media: The abduction by Task Force Ranger took place on September 21, 1993, from a location near Digfer Hospital. The rangers had made an earlier attempt at Atto's capture, but missed him by seconds. Atto would later be interviewed by CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. In a speech at a church in Daytona, in January 2002, William Boykin, responsible for the operation, recounted, "There was a man in Mogadishu named Osman Atto... He went on CNN and he laughed at us, and he said, 'They'll never get me because Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
will protect me.'" The arrest was portrayed in the film Black Hawk Down.
On 7/9/1994 the Lower Jubba Peace Conference lead to a peace agreement signed by Osman Ali Atto as the SNA
Somali National Alliance
The Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
representative and by general Hersi Morgan of the SNF
Somali National Front
The Somali National Front was a political revolutionary movement and armed militia in Somalia.-History:Initially made up of loyalists to former President of Somalia Siad Barre and the remnants of the Somali National Army forces after his ouster from office, the SNF's intent and goal was to...
. However, general Hersi Morgan's adversaries in Lower Jubba
Jubba
Jubba is a Persian and South Asian ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, and similar to a robe. It is synonymous to the thawb....
, the Absame clan, did not take part, making the peace accord stillborn.
In late 1994, Osman Atto's car drove over a land mine and broke both his feet.
Osman Ali Atto's war with Aidid
On 15 June 1995 General Aidid declared a government and was elected president by his coalition, but at the same time, his faction split. Osman Ali Atto declared that he was Chairman of the SNASomali National Alliance
The Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
. Aidid's self-declared government was not recognised internationally and was unable to administer the portion of the city it claimed to control. Fighting between the forces of Osman Ali Atto and of General Aidid in South Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
lead to 200 dead between April and June 1996 and 150 in July 1996. A son of Atto was shot by a sniper in the so-called "banana war". Aidid was wounded and died of his injuries on 1 August in that same year. His son Hussein Mohamed Farrah
Hussein Mohamed Farrah
Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid , is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a former president of Somalia. He is the son of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid.-Biography:...
succeeded him.
On April 27, 1996, the faction of the United Somali Congress/Somali National Army (USC
United Somali Congress
The United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
/SNA
Somali National Alliance
The Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
) which supported Osman Ali Atto decided on a programme to enforce the sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
(Islamic court and laws) in southern Mogadishu, where Atto's forces were trying to impose control. A committee was nominated to prepare the installation of Islamic courts and an appeal was issued to Islamic leaders to decide on the religious personalities most suited to head these courts. Islamic courts were already in place in the northern part of Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
controlled by Ali Mahdi Mohammed, Osman Ali Atto's new ally.
After the death of Aidid, fighting continued between Osma Ali Atto and Aidid's successor:
- Exchange of gunfire and heavy artillery was reported in south Mogadishu between 21 and 24 September, during which time a mortar shell landed in a camp for internally displaced persons, killing seven persons and wounding eight others.
- On 7 October, at least eight persons were killed and 30 injured near the K-7 intersection in Mogadishu. On 29 October, 16 persons were reportedly killed and 20 wounded in a drive-by shooting by members of the Osman Ali Atto's militia in the Bar Ubah area of south Mogadishu, in retaliation for assassinations on board a boat on 4 October by supporters of Hussein Mohamed FarrahHussein Mohamed FarrahHussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid , is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a former president of Somalia. He is the son of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid.-Biography:...
. The same evening, Hussein Mohamed FarrahHussein Mohamed FarrahHussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid , is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a former president of Somalia. He is the son of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid.-Biography:...
's militia was said to have killed at least five people in the house of a supporter of Osman Ali Atto. - On 30 October, militia loyal to Osman Ali Atto attacked the K-50 airstrip, controlled by the Aidid administration, killing at least 21 civilians and wounding 50 others, in an attempt to kill or kidnap the brother of Hussein Mohamed Farrah.
- In November 1996, heavy shelling and sporadic gunfire caused a number of civilian deaths in south Mogadishu and the temporary closure of schools in the conflict areas. Local press reported 68 deaths (including 18 children) and at least 112 wounded between 1 and 22 November. Mortar shells misfired and hit civilian homes, displaced persons' camps, schools and markets.
- Between 13 and 21 December, the forces of Osman Ali Atto were supported by Musa Sudi YalahowMusa Sudi YalahowMuse Sudi Yalahow is a notorious Somali warlord who served as Trade Minister in the Transitional Government of Ali Mohammed Ghedi. He was dismissed in June 2006 after ignoring government requests to halt fighting with the Islamic Courts Union militia....
. Fighting took place in south Mogadishu and in Medina district. Over 300 persons were reported to have lost their lives in these battles and over 1,400 were wounded. A large number of the reported casualties were civilians. As a result of the fighting, many people fled the Medina district and places as far away as Galcayo reported receiving new displaced families. - On 12 February 1997, fighting erupted in north Mogadishu. Its scale necessitated the evacuation of United Nations personnel from the area.
- As of 15 February, the fighting had claimed at least 15 lives, five of them are said to be from one family. Forty others were reportedly injured.
- In south Mogadishu, the tension that had been building between the late General Aidid's forces and those of Osman Ali Atto led to exchanges of fire in mid-March 1996 over control of the Merka port. The fighting, which subsided in Merka itself after elders intervened, continued in Mogadishu in April and caused the loss of many lives. Osman Ali Atto took control of the compound in Mogadishu of the former United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Operation in Somalia (UNOSOMUNOSOMUNOSOM may refer to:* UNOSOM I* UNOSOM II* UNITAF* Operation Provide Relief See also Operation Deliverance, the concurrent Canadian operation...
). He also entered into an alliance with Musa Sudi YalahowMusa Sudi YalahowMuse Sudi Yalahow is a notorious Somali warlord who served as Trade Minister in the Transitional Government of Ali Mohammed Ghedi. He was dismissed in June 2006 after ignoring government requests to halt fighting with the Islamic Courts Union militia....
, a supporter of Ali Mahdi Mohamed in the Medina area of south Mogadishu. Ali Mahdi Mohamed's militia attacked the Huriwa district in north Mogadishu which is inhabited by the Habr-Gedir sub-clan. There was also intense fighting for control of Balidogle airport about 60 miles south-west of Mogadishu, where militia loyal to General Aidid had been in control since the departure of UNOSOM. Though the joint forces of Ali Mahdi Mohamed, Osman Ali Atto and another sub-clan briefly gained control of the airport, General Aidid's forces succeeded in recapturing it. Elders tried unsuccessfully to mediate in the conflicts. - On 22 September 1997, gunmen assassinated Oman Ali Atto's spokesman in south Mogadishu in his home.
- On 4 October, two high-ranking officials of Osman Atto's militia were killed aboard a boat travelling from north Mogadishu to Medina when another vessel loaded with heavy weaponry intercepted the boat and opened fire. The local press reported that the weaponry belonged to the Aidid administration. Nine other person were reportedly injured in the same incident.
- On 3/1/1997 Leaders of the SSA (Somali Salvation Army, the Ali Mahdi Mohammed branch of the United Somali CongressUnited Somali CongressThe United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
) and Osman Ali Atto met in SodereSodereSodere is a spa town in central Ethiopia. Located approximately 25 kilometres south of Adama and 120 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1466 metres above sea level...
, EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and signed an agreement to seek a comprehensive peace settlement and establishment of a new government of Somalia. However, tensions within Ali Mahdi Mohamed's Abgal clan worsened, leading to armed conflict in North Mogadishu. - On April 15, 1998 ten Red Cross and Red Crescent workers were kidnapped 15 by Somali gunmen at a Mogadishu airstrip. The group was held for nine days in a north Mogadishu compound before being released April 24 apparently without any ransom being paid other than US $50,000 to cover "expenses". The kidnappers were from the Da'ud subclan of Ali Mahdi Mohamed's north Mogadishu Abgal clan. During negotiations the kidnappers demanded a $100,000 ransom for each hostage, threatening that they would be executed within 24 hours if no payment was made. Two of those abducted were Swiss, while the others came from Belgium, France, Germany, Kenya, Norway, Somalia] South Africa and United States. Although physically in good health following their ordeal, doctors reported that all ten were suffering from severe psychological trauma. As a result of the incident, the UN has suspended all humanitarian operations in the city and evacuated its foreign workers pending a reassessment of the political and security situation. The Al-Jamhuria newspaper, charged that Osman Atto organised the kidnapping because he felt he had been snubbed by the International Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red CrossThe International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
(ICRCInternational Committee of the Red CrossThe International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
) Somalia office director, Thomas Gurtner, who was among the hostages. - On July 16, 1998, militiamen in Mogadishu attacked a United Nations convoy carrying food to flood and famine victims in southern Somalia. The convoy of twenty-eight trucks was being guarded by private security guards who fired back at the militiamen, who were believed to belong to a faction loyal to Osman Ali Atto. Six people were killed and many more wounded in the exchanges.
- In 1998, at the urging of Egypt and Libya, Ali Mahdi Mohammed and Hussein Aidid established a joint administration for Mogadishu including a joint police force. Osman Ali Atto and several other faction leaders were in strong opposition and factional fighting took place into the first months of 1999.
Implicated in the killing of General Yusuf Tallan
The U.S. Department of State asserted, in its Country Report for Somalia for the year 2000, that the killing of Yusuf Tallan, a former general under the Barre regime was connected to Osman Ali Atto. The report did not provide specific corroboration for the assertion.Hostage taking (in 2000, ACF) and convoy ambush (in 2001, WFP)
"On 26 July 2000, several heavily armed vehicles (called technicalsTechnical (fighting vehicle)
A technical is a type of improvised fighting vehicle, typically a civilian or military non-combat vehicle, modified to provide an offensive capability similar to a military gun truck...
), accompanied by about 50 militiamen, attacked the compound of the NGO Action Internationale contre la Faim
Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organization with a focus on ending world hunger. Action Against Hunger specializes in responding to emergency situations of war, conflict, and natural disaster...
(ACF) in Mogadishu south. A local warlord (Osman Ali Atto) is believed to have ordered that attack. Two international staff members (French administrator Francoise Deutsch, 46, and British logistician Jonathan Ward, 31) of ACF
Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organization with a focus on ending world hunger. Action Against Hunger specializes in responding to emergency situations of war, conflict, and natural disaster...
were taken hostage. They were only released after the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
intervened on their behalf."
Militiamen loyal to Osman Ali Atto are alleged to be responsible for a July 14, 2001 ambush of a World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
(WFP) relief convoy near Mogadishu, in which six persons were killed.
The 2002 USA Country Report on Human Rights Practices reported that no actions were taken by the end of 2002 against the militiamen who were said to be responsible.
Transitional National Government (TNG)
- 8 March 2001: Talks took place among the political opponents of the Somalia's transitional government in the Ethiopian capital, Addis AbabaAddis AbabaAddis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. Several warlords and faction leaders were seeking some form of united opposition to the first government in Somalia for 10 years, which was set up at talks in DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
in 2000.
Leaders included the head of the autonomous region of Puntland, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, and General Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan
Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan
Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan was the son-in-law of Siad Barre and minister of defense of Somalia. Said Hersi Morgan is thought to be responsible for many atrocities committed against the Somali population during the Barre government and during the civil war of the 1990s in the region of Kismayu...
as well as Generals Aden Abdullahi Nur Gabyow and Hassan Mohamed Nur. They were meeting other faction leaders from Mogadishu including Mohammed Farah Aidid, Osman Hassan Atto and Musa Sudi Yalahow
Musa Sudi Yalahow
Muse Sudi Yalahow is a notorious Somali warlord who served as Trade Minister in the Transitional Government of Ali Mohammed Ghedi. He was dismissed in June 2006 after ignoring government requests to halt fighting with the Islamic Courts Union militia....
who had announced that they had resolved their differences.
- The March 27-April 4 ambush and kidnapping took place of 6 international UN staff and 3 MSFMSFMSF may refer to:* Mail Summary File , file extension used by Earthlink, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Netscape mail clients to store folder data in Mork.* Marvel Super Heroes vs...
staff in Mogadishu by militia in opposition to the TNG.
- On June 25, a convoy carrying UNICEF health and nutrition supplies was ambushed in Brava and the supplies looted.
- On July 5, a convoy of TNG trucks was ambushed in the centre of Mogadish by militia allied with Osman Atto and Husein Farah Aidid.
- On July 7, another TNG vehicle was ambushed near the same location.
- On 11 July, a member of the Transitional National Assembly TNATNATNA may refer to:*Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka*The National Archives, in the United Kingdom*The New Amsterdams, a band*Threose nucleic acid, an analog of the nucleic acid DNA*Tonga Nurses' Association...
was kidnapped, allegedly by supporters of faction leader Osman Hasan Ali Atto after claims that the MP owed money.
- In July 300 people were killed in Mogadishu in spite of the presence of the TNG’s 2000-strong police force. This was because of the confrontation of the TNG with the members of the SRRC which include Col. Abdullahi Yusuf, Mr. Mohammed Farah Aidid, General Gabyow, General Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan, Mr. Osman Ali Atto, Mr. Musa Sudi YalahowMusa Sudi YalahowMuse Sudi Yalahow is a notorious Somali warlord who served as Trade Minister in the Transitional Government of Ali Mohammed Ghedi. He was dismissed in June 2006 after ignoring government requests to halt fighting with the Islamic Courts Union militia....
and others.
President Moi
Moi
- Language :* The French language word for "me" , used idiomatically and informally by English speakers to facetiously indicate mock innocence or humility...
convened a round of reconciliation talks among Somali leaders in Kenya, from 13 to 24 December 2001, at the conclusion of which three separate agreements were signed between the Transitional National Government
Transitional National Government
The Transitional National Government of Somalia was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Djibouti....
(TNG) and the opposition groups represented there, including: the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council, led by Osman Ali Atto (none of the five co-chairmen of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council was present); the United Somali Congress
United Somali Congress
The United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
/Somali Salvation Alliance, led by Omar Muhamoud Finnish
Omar Muhamoud Finnish
- United Somali Congress/Somali Salvation Alliance :He is leader of a splinter movement of the United Somali Congress/Somali Salvation Alliance , which had been initially loyal to Ali Mahdi Mohammed during the Somali Civil War...
; and the United Somali Congress
United Somali Congress
The United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
/Somali National Alliance
Somali National Alliance
The Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
. The three near-identical agreements called for an all-inclusive government to be formed within one month, with the Transitional National Government
Transitional National Government
The Transitional National Government of Somalia was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Djibouti....
proposing to the Transitional National Assembly.
In the course 2001 the TNG, led by President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan
Abdiqasim Salad Hassan
Dr Abdiqasim Salad Hassan is a prominent Somali politician. He was President of Somalia from 2001 to 2004, and previously served as Interior Minister and Finance Minister in the government of Mohamed Siad Barre.-Biography:...
, had brought on board two of the five faction leaders based in Mogadishu, originally opposed to it. In December 2000, Hussein Haji Bod reached an agreement with the TNG, and in February 2001, Mohamed Afrah Qanyare
Mohamed Afrah Qanyare
Mohamed Afrah Qanyare , is a Somali politician who was based to the south of Mogadishu Dayniile neighborhoods.Somali PM one of the political Flexible activity Mohamed Qanyare Afrah- United Somali Congress :...
joined the TNG as Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Osman Ali Atto held several positive discussions with the President and provided the TNG with technical assistance in the "Clean-up of Mogadishu” campaign. The other two faction leaders in Mogadishu - Mohammed Farah Aidid and Musa Sudi Yalahow
Musa Sudi Yalahow
Muse Sudi Yalahow is a notorious Somali warlord who served as Trade Minister in the Transitional Government of Ali Mohammed Ghedi. He was dismissed in June 2006 after ignoring government requests to halt fighting with the Islamic Courts Union militia....
- continued to challenge the authority of the TNG.
Ali Atto signed the Nakuru
Nakuru
Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...
peace deal on a national unity government in December 2001.
In the middle of January 2002 Osman Ali Atto also announced that he was taking the side of the government but keeping forces loyal to him. He did not disclose his motives but reportedly he had been persuaded to do so by mediators of Ali Mahdi Mohammed who had gone into the shadow but still remained in touch. Many analysts believed that the government was formed largely thanks to the support of Ali Mahdi Mohammed. It was he who helped President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan
Abdiqasim Salad Hassan
Dr Abdiqasim Salad Hassan is a prominent Somali politician. He was President of Somalia from 2001 to 2004, and previously served as Interior Minister and Finance Minister in the government of Mohamed Siad Barre.-Biography:...
by placing about 10,000 loyal militants under his command.
Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
After his election, Abdullahi Yusuf formed the first Transitional Federal GovernmentTransitional Federal Government
The Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...
(TFG), replacing the Transitional National Government
Transitional National Government
The Transitional National Government of Somalia was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Djibouti....
(TNG) of Somalia by appointing cabinet ministers in November 2004. One of his appointments was Osman Ali Atto as minister of housing and public works.
In 2006 Osman Ali Atto was involved in peace efforts between TFG and ICU. Atto is of the same clan (the Saad sub-clan of Habar Gedir) as his former (Aidid) comrade-in-arms Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdiid, a warlord whose militia lost their checkpoints. Atto said Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdiid should recognize the legitimacy of Islamic Courts Union as new ruler in the capital. He told the media that he welcomed the operations by ICU to the eradication of all illegal checkpoints formed in and out of the capital.
Following the success of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council in taking Mogadishu, and the entry of Ethiopian troops into Somalia, members of the transitional government started to resign. Before the resignations started, the government consisted of 42 full minsters and a further 60 assistant ministers. On July 27, 2006 19 ministers resigned including minister Osman Ali Atto. Atto said he came back from the capital with an agreement from the Islamic courts that fresh talks be held. But he said that Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi was "an obstacle to progress" and had refused to listen.
On May 30 he was kidnapped by the Islamic Courts Union who are waging an insurgency against the Ethiopian troops and the Somali government Soldiers. Osman was kidnapped by Insurgents manning a checkpoint while he was driving to Mogadishu. The Islamic Courts later released him.
Atto's financing of warfare
In a letter from the Chairman of the Security Council Committee (established pursuant to Resolution 751United Nations Security Council Resolution 751
United Nations Security Council Resolution 751, adopted unanimously on April 24, 1992, after reaffirming resolutions 733 and 746 and considering a report by the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on the ongoing civil war in Somalia, the Council established a United Nations Operation in...
in 1992) to the President of the Security Council (dated 25 March 2003) Osman Ali Atto is described as an individual who exemplifies "the interaction between looting and the exploitation of Somalia's ressources and infrastructure and the financing of warfare".
According to this document Atto used the income from airports, check-points, drug-dealing, arms-smuggle, asset stripping
Asset stripping
Asset stripping involves selling the assets of a business individually at a profit. The term is generally used in a pejorative sense as such activity is not considered productive to the economy. Asset stripping is considered to be a problem in economies such as Russia or China that are making a...
and kidnapping to purchase arms and finance his militias.
Airports and checkpoints
The most significant commodity brought to all airports in Somalia is khatKhat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
, which accounts for 30 to 50 per cent of the total income for each airport. Daynile airport, located near Mogadishu, generates an estimated $1.5 million in revenues each year. In 2006, shares of those revenues are said to be split between the Mohamed Qanyare Afrah, Osman Ali Atto and the other two shareholders Omar Muhamoud Finnish
Omar Muhamoud Finnish
- United Somali Congress/Somali Salvation Alliance :He is leader of a splinter movement of the United Somali Congress/Somali Salvation Alliance , which had been initially loyal to Ali Mahdi Mohammed during the Somali Civil War...
and the Ifka Halane sharia court.
Checkpoints are spread throughout Somalia, and particularly in central and southern Somalia. They are one of the most immediate sources of cash for warlords. They have been in existence in Somalia since the early 1990s, when the civil war erupted and warlords and clans started to seek sources of revenue to allow them to buy arms and ammunition and other supplies that would permit them to continue fighting. Before the collection of revenues from airports and seaports started, checkpoints were the fastest and probably the easiest way to collect regular and substantial amounts of money. They continue to provide hard currency on a daily basis, enabling warlords
Warlords
Warlords may refer to:* The plural of warlord, a name for a figure who has military authority but not legal authority over a subnational region.* "WARLORDS", the call sign of a United States Navy Helicopter squadron based in Ayase city, Japan....
to have enough cash on hand to purchase arms, ammunition and khat supplies for the militias. There are approximately 32 checkpoints in the Bay region, compared with about 51 in the Mogadishu area alone. Checkpoints in the Madina district of Mogadishu, Darmoole (a road between Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
and Balad
Balad, Somalia
Balad is one of the districts of Middle Shebelle region of Somalia. It is located about 36 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Mogadishu. It has an area of with an estimated population of 480,000. Most of the population is Mataan Abdulle, part of Wabudhan from Abgaal clan of Hawiye...
) and at Balad
Balad, Somalia
Balad is one of the districts of Middle Shebelle region of Somalia. It is located about 36 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Mogadishu. It has an area of with an estimated population of 480,000. Most of the population is Mataan Abdulle, part of Wabudhan from Abgaal clan of Hawiye...
(a town about 30 kilometres north of Mogadishu) provide Muse Sudi Yalahow, the
dissident TFG Minister of Commerce and member of the Mogadishu-based opposition, with approximately $1.3 million a year. This amount is exceeded by the approximate $4.3 million that are collected annually by Osman Hassan Ali (Atto), at Afgooye, a town located about 30 kilometres west of Mogadishu.
Drug-dealing
KhatKhat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
was the currency by which the warlord's men were paid, and since it suppresses natural appetite, actual food distributed to the men could be that much less. The real beneficiaries of the trade in khat were the warlords. Khat was bleeding the economy dry as most of Somalia's currency wound up in the hands of the warlords or left the country to pay for khat's importation from Kenya and Ethiopia. It also left the Somalis literally bleeding when vicious street fighting erupted between rival warlords
Warlords
Warlords may refer to:* The plural of warlord, a name for a figure who has military authority but not legal authority over a subnational region.* "WARLORDS", the call sign of a United States Navy Helicopter squadron based in Ayase city, Japan....
over the control of its distribution. The industry leader during the early nineties' crisis was Osman Atto, when he was 2nd in command to Mohammed Farah Aidid. Aidid thus became the strongest warlord.
Hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
from Asian countries was smuggled into Kenya and Tanzania on Somali vessels and small boats. Osman Hassan Ali Atto was said to be involved in this trade. Information indicates that they recently exported more than 400 kilograms of hashish to neighbouring countries. There has also been information about marihuana plantations in Camba, Jilib and Merere in the Jubba Valley
Jubba Valley
The Juba Valley is a valley in Northeast Africa.It follows the line of the Juba River north from the Indian Ocean to the Somalia/Ethiopia border, and then splits, one branch following the Dawa River west along the Ethiopia/Kenya border then north into Ethiopia, and the other branch follows the...
region.
Looting and kidnapping
Osman Ali Atto is also alleged to be involved in kidnappingsand responsible for significant asset-stripping (looting) during the war.
See also
- Somali civil warSomali Civil WarThe Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
- MogadishuMogadishuMogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
- United Somali CongressUnited Somali CongressThe United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
- Somali National AllianceSomali National AllianceThe Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
- Mohamed Farrah AididMohamed Farrah AididGeneral Mohamed Ali Farrah Aidid was a controversial Somali military leader, often described as a warlord. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress and later led the Somali National Alliance...
- Hussein Mohamed FarrahHussein Mohamed FarrahHussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid , is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a former president of Somalia. He is the son of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid.-Biography:...
- Ali Mahdi MuhammadAli Mahdi MuhammadAli Mahdi Muhammad was president of Somalia from January 1991 to November 1991. He rose to power when Mohamed Farrah Aidid forced then president Mohamed Siad Barre out of office. Muhammad, however, was not able in that time to exert control over the country...
- Musa Sudi YalahowMusa Sudi YalahowMuse Sudi Yalahow is a notorious Somali warlord who served as Trade Minister in the Transitional Government of Ali Mohammed Ghedi. He was dismissed in June 2006 after ignoring government requests to halt fighting with the Islamic Courts Union militia....
- Transitional Federal ParliamentTransitional Federal ParliamentThe Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic is an interim Parliament of Somalia formed in neighboring Kenya in 2004.The Transitional Federal Parliament has 550 members representing Somalia's clans, Islamist opposition, representatives of citizens' groups and the Somali...
- Black Hawk Down
External links
- "In Somalia, a Chameleon Thrives" by Donatella Lorch, The New York Times, Monday July 31, 1995]
- "Letter from Mogadishu, a world of dust" by William Finnegan, The New Yorker, March 20, 1995. (interview with Atto begin sixth paragraph from the bottom)
- http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Newsletters/HB7895_SOM.html
- warlord_threatens_peace_force_in_somalia
- http://www.netnomad.com/atobio.html
- Somalis Try to Avert Showdown http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/17/se.06.html Transcript of interview with Atto by C. Amanpour on CNN, aired 17 Jan. 2002 20.00 ET
- BBC News Analysis: Somalia's powerbrokers, January 8, 2002 Includes picture of Atto.
- Land of the Gun, interview with Atto by Kevin Sites, Yahoo News, 29 September 2005