Mayor of Mogadishu Bans Weapons

Source: Associated Press

Mayor of Mogadishu Bans Weapons

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN
The Associated Press
Friday, May 4, 2007; 9:30 AM

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- A former warlord who has long lived by his gun
was sworn in as mayor of Mogadishu on Friday and immediately ordered
residents of the Somali capital to get rid of their weapons.

But Mayor Mohamed Dheere offered no clear details on how that could
be accomplished in a city awash in Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns
and hand grenades. Previous efforts to get residents to give up their
weapons have been unsuccessful.

"No weapons are allowed in the city," Dheere, who spent 16 years as
a warlord struggling for power in this Horn of Africa nation, said at his
inauguration ceremony. "Anyone who violates this directive will be
punished."

The new police chief, Abdi Qeybdiid, also called for residents to disarm
Friday, and said cars with blacked-out or tinted windows must go.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/04/AR2007050400619.html

---

Related: Somali government bans cars with tinted window screens - Shabelle