Gen. Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the militia leader who helped draw Somalia into years of civil war, famine and virtual anarchy and whose forces killed 18 U.S. soldiers trying to hunt him down, has died.
Aidid, who effectively forced U.N. peacekeepers to withdraw from Somalia in humiliation, died of a heart attack Thursday, his militia said Friday. He had been reported shot during factional fight-ing last week.Thousands of weeping Somalis poured into the streets of south Mogadishu Friday. The mourners lined the street leading to the Al Rahma mosque, where services for the 61-year-old general were held. He was buried in south Mogadishu.
It was still too early to assess the impact of Aidid's death on the complex Somali political scene. Two major faction leaders remain in Mogadishu - Ali Mahdi Mohamed, who controls the northern half of the city - and Osman Hassan Ali Atto, who was fighting Aidid for control of the southern half.
Ali Mahdi and Atto had formed an alliance to fight Aidid for control of the Medina neighborhood in south Mogadishu. It apparently was during that battle that Aidid was wounded.
The radio station of Aidid's militia, the Voice of the Somali People, said the self-proclaimed Somali president died of a heart attack "while performing his national duties."
A U.N. official in neighboring Kenya, speaking on the condition that she not be further identified, said Aidid probably received two gunshot wounds July 24 in Medina, one in the shoulder and one in the liver.
Tuesday night, the liver wound became infected, and doctors decided to operate, she said. She said it was unclear whether Aidid died during the operation, but that the heart attack could have been a result of it.
Aidid's radio station declared a 30-day mourning period and said flags in south Mogadishu would be flown at half-staff for seven days. It broadcast mourning music and messages of condolence to Aidid's family all morning.
Aidid is survived by his third wife, Khadija Said Gurhan, and 14 children.
The radio station said a four-member committee had been appointed to head Aidid's Hawiye clan, and that the committee would continue Aidid's policies.
The radio broadcast a statement, apparently from the new committee, calling on the soldiers of the National Army - a reference to Aidid's militiamen - to "remain watchful and defend their rights."
The Voice of the Somali Republic radio, run by Ali Mahdi, reported Aidid's death without elaboration.
Ioan M. Lewis, a British expert on Somalia, said Aidid's death opens the situation in Somalia to "positive developments."
Attempts since 1991 to broker agreements between the various faction leaders in Somalia have generally been "a complete waste of time," largely because Aidid wasn't interested in negotiating, Lewis said.
Aidid emerged as a powerful force in Somalia after the overthrow of President Mohamed Siad Barre in January 1991.
The power struggle carved the country of 8 million people into a collection of fiefdoms with no central government. More than 350,000 Somalis died from the fighting and famine.
Five hundred Pakistani U.N. peacekeeping troops were finally sent to Mogadishu in September 1992, but by then Aidid felt strong enough to hem them in, useless, at the airport. International demands for action grew louder.
The first U.S. Marines went ashore at Mogadishu on Dec. 8, 1992. Joined by troops from other nations, Operation Restore Hope delivered food to famished corners of Somalia. The death count dropped, but the warring clans remained unreconciled. By February 1993, thousands of Somalis, incited by Aidid, were rioting against the foreigners.
The United Nations blamed Aidid for the June 5, 1993, ambushes that killed 24 Pakistani peacekeepers and wounded 59, and issued a warrant for his arrest. While Aidid repeatedly denied responsibility, he accused the U.N. forces of favoring his rivals.
In October 1993, 18 U.S. soldiers and a reported 300 Somalis were killed in fighting during an American assault on an Aidid stronghold, prompting President Clinton to speed up the withdrawal of U.S. forces.
The United States withdrew in March 1994, and the final U.N. contingent pulled out a year later.