Al-Hidaya Mosque massacre

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The Al-Hidaya Mosque massacre occurred on April 20, 2008, when Ethiopian soldiers reportedly killed 21^[1] people in Mogadishu, Somalia. The incident occurred amid heavy fighting between Islamic militants and government soldiers supported by Ethiopians in the city which invaded Somalia in December 2006. It was not clear why Ethiopian troops attacked al-Hidaya Mosque, which is frequented by Tabliiq congregants who were reportedly not involved in the insurgency.^[2]^[3]

Ethiopian authorities denied that the killings took place, calling Amnesty International accusations "lies" and "propaganda".^[4]

1 Details
2 Reactions
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Details

According to several witnesses, Ethiopian soldiers stormed the mosque and killed the occupants mercilessly. 11 bodies were later found, some with their throat slit and others shot to death. Of the 11 dead victims, nine were regular congregants at the mosque and reportedly were part of the Tabliiq wing of Sunni Islam.^[5]^[6]

Tabliiq official Shiekh Abdi-kheyr Isse said the Ethiopians had "slaughtered" the clerics. "Thefirst person they [Ethiopian soldiers] killed was Sheikh Said Yahya, the Imam," a witness said, adding that the late Imam opened the mosque door after the soldiers knocked.^[7]

Local sources said more than 40 Islamic students were arrested by the Ethiopian soldiers who stormed the mosque.^[8] Amnesty International later revised the fatalities number at 20, and called for the students release.^[9]

[edit] Reactions

Somalia’s internal affairs and foreign affairs ministers have issued contradicting statements regarding the incident. Interior Minister Muse Nur Amin told reporters on that insurgents first attacked Ethiopian and Somali troops to trigger the weekend’s deadly violence. “I personally do not believe that someone praying at a mosque was pulled out and killed, but I want to make clear that the [Transitional] Federal Government is investigating,” the Interior Minister said in Mogadishu. He categorically dismissed the idea that, upon investigation, only the Federal Government and its Ethiopian military allies will take blame for the massacre at Hidaya Mosque, in northern Mogadishu.^[10]

Somalia’s foreign affairs minister, Mr. Ali “Jangeli” Ahmed, completely denied reports of the mosque massacre, arguing that “no religious men were killed."^[11]

Mohamud Ibrahim Suley, spokesman for the Islamic Courts movement, said the Hidaya Mosque killings have placed the ongoing reconciliation process “in the dark.”^[12]

Amnesty International condemned the killings during the raid. It also accused Ethiopian troops of capturing 40 Somali children during the raid, and called for their release.^[13]

Ethiopian authorities denied that the killings took place, calling Amnesty International accusations "lies" and "propaganda". "Amnesty's allegations are unsubstantiated lies and propaganda that they received from Islamic groups in Somalia. Ethiopia has never been involved in such incidents," a spokesman said.^[14]