MARKA, Somalia Nov 3 (Garowe Online) - A spokesman for traditional elders in Lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia, has rejected notorious warlord Yusuf Indha Ade's public statement that he will establish an Islamic administration for the region. Full story

Mohamed Sidow, an elder who spoke on behalf of Lower Shabelle native clans, told reporters Monday that Indha Ade plans to "rule the region by force again."

"An administration created by Yusuf Indha Ade will not work in in this [Lower Shabelle] region," the clan elder said, adding: "But we are not against Islamic rule."

Elder Sidow also said the region's traditional leaders welcome the ongoing visit by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to neighboring Middle Shabelle region.

Sheikh Sharif, chairman of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), signed a peace pact with the Somali government last month calling for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces. Full story

Indha Ade, who is allied to the Eritrea-based ARS faction that rejected the peace deal, told a public gathering in the regional capital of Marka that a new Islamic administration will be established soon.

Troubled region

Col. Dahir Mohamed Hersi, the Somali army spokesman, said government troops will soon be deployed in Marka to retake the town from Indha Ade supporters.

Lower Shabelle has been under the control of rival militia gangs for the past two years.

Last week's assassination in Marka of one of Indha Ade's top ground commanders has fuelled speculation that the Islamist-allied warlord is concerned about his power base in Lower Shabelle.  Full story

Ethiopian troops based in Afgoye, a township in Lower Shabelle region, were reportedly making major military movements in recent days in possible preparation for an advance on Marka, local sources reported.

Indha Ade used clansmen from the central regions to control and subjugate the unarmed native clans of Lower Shabelle, a strategic region prized for its farms and ports, until Ethiopian-backed government forces expelled him two years ago.

Source: Garowe Online