Somali government, Ahlu Sunna faction sign pact

Somalia's transitional government (TFG) and a faction of the country's moderate Ahlu Sunna Sufi sect signed a deal Monday to jointly fight extremist elements in the country.

The two sides agreed to "fight terrorism, to jointly combat extremist ideology that is alien to Somalia (and) to integrate forces," according to an African Union official.

The agreement was signed by Sheikh Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden -- one of Somalia's deputy prime ministers -- and Sheikh Mohamud Moalim Hassan, presented by Ethiopian sources as Ahlu Sunna's "spiritual leader."

The agreement, inked in Addis Ababa, was reached under the AU and Ethiopian government's auspices.

However, the Ahlu Sunna signatory has already been disavowed by at least two of the group's officials.

Somalia's Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said the signing is "a victory for peace and a crushing defeat for spoilers in Somalia and from the region".

"The signing is a turning point in the political landscape in Somalia," he told reporters.

"We are committed to share power. Under the agreement, they will be given five ministries -- which ones remain to be seen. We will establish a joint committee to discuss on how to appoint the positions," Sharmarke said.

He added that the post of deputy chief of staff of the army would go to Ahlu Sunna.

AU Commission chief Jean Ping voiced hope the accord "will have a positive influence in the entire process of reconciliation in Somalia."

The Sufi group and the government were already de facto allies against the Shebab and Hezb al-Islam hardline Islamist groups, without any formal alliance being in place.

But senior Ahlu Sunna leaders have stressed they do not fully endorse the TFG led by President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

Ahlu Sunna is often accused of being Ethiopia's proxy in Somalia following Addis Ababa' troop withdrawal in January 2009, following a ill-fated two-year occupation.

The group, whose full name translates loosely as 'The Companions of the Prophet', was founded in 1991 to protect the local Sufi brand of Islam from Gulf-backed sects and recently took up arms, emerging as one of the country's key players.

Fighting alongside government troops in several areas of central and southern Somalia, it has inflicted serious defeats on the Shebab and shown itself to be one of the most credible military forces in the lawless country.