Somali warlord Musa Sudi Yalahow on Tuesday disclaimed responsibility for the weekend murder of an MP which occurred in an area controlled by the faction leader.
Hassan Ahmed Elmi, a member of Somalia's fledgling transitional parliament, was gunned down Sunday night in front of his wife and children in his home in Madina, an area of southwestern Mogadishu controlled by Yalahow's gunmen.
"I don't think people in our area were responsible for the killing of Elmi. Preliminary investigations show a power struggle among the so-called MPs," Yalahow said.
Somalia's warlords are bitterly opposed to a Djibouti-led reconciliation process which has led to the establishment of the assembly as well as the nomination of a president and prime minister and the formation of a transitional government.
Most of the warlords do not recognize these posts and institutions.
"The late Elmi was not an MP as there is no parliament in Somalia. However, the Islamic courts in the area have been instructed to investigate the matter and punish those responsible for the killing of Elmi according to Islamic Sharia law," Yalahow told AFP.
He said that all vehicles coming to his southwest Mogadishu fiefdom would be searched carefully.
Another warlord, Hussein Mohamed Aidid, condemned the assassination and suggested it vindicated his frequently voiced opinion that the Arta process would lead to more violence in Somalia, which in the absence of a central government has been ruled by rival warlords since the 1991 fall of president Mohammed Siad Barre.
"The Djibouti-sponsored administration was responsible for the killing in their effort to renew inter-clan fighting in Mogadishu," Aidid said.
On October 18, General Youssuf Talan, a close associate of Somali President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, was shot dead by gunmen in Mogadishu.
"Both incidents should be blamed for the reckless behavior of the Arta group," Aidid said.
Speaker of Parliament Abdallah Issak Deerrow condemned the murder on Monday, saying: "It is regrettable that the MP has been killed, but we will issue a report on the killing after investigations" -- MOGADISHU (AFP)
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