Amnesty For ICU

June 2007 | Risk Summary

The Somali government declared in June 2007 that it is offering an amnesty to fighters from the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), in an effort to encourage the group's leaders to attend the National Reconciliation Conference on 15 July. However, the government pointedly stated that this offer was not open to "international terrorists", a reference to the foreign fighters believed to be operating in support of the ICU. While ICU leader-in-exile Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has welcomed the amnesty, this is likely to lead to only minimal improvements in security on the ground, given the dispersed nature of the ICU fighters.

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