Pro-Somali troops under scrutiny

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 29 (UPI) — Fighters loyal to the transitional government in Somalia are suspected of torture and summary executions, Human Rights Watch said.

Ethiopian forces allied with two Somali militias in December to run al-Shabaab out of an area near the shared border with Ethiopia.

Civilians in the area told Human Rights Watch that the situation was tense because of abuses allegedly committed by forces allied with Ethiopian troops.

“Civilians in Beletweyne and Baidoa hoped that threats, fear, and repression would diminish with al-Shabaab’s departure,” Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement from Nairobi. “Instead, the arrival of the Ethiopian forces and their militia allies has meant that one set of abusive authorities has been replaced by another.”

The rights group said it was told of summary executions and torture at the hands of militia groups. Somali nations said the security situation in the region was unpredictable.

“Wartime attacks never justify summary executions,” Lefkow added. “All armed groups need to stop such atrocities.”

The interim government in Somalia was praised for gains made recently. It’s been able to extend its authority beyond the capital Mogadishu as al-Shabaab loses ground in the war-torn country. The tenure for the interim government expires in August.
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