SOMALIA: PM Says No Ethiopian Troops Arrived
Alisha Ryu of the Voice of America Radio sent following dispatch from Baydhabo.
Residents here received a flood of phone calls Sunday morning from anxious friends and family in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, asking if Ethiopian troops had really arrived in Baidoa. Residents in both cities say they have heard media reports that at least six large Ethiopian military trucks, carrying troops, entered Baidoa late Saturday night. Somalia’s interim Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Geedi, told VOA, the reports are not true. “There are no foreign troops in Somalia, and in Baidoa, as well,†said Ali Mohammed Geedi. “There are no Ethiopian troops in Somalia and Baidoa. These rumors are originating from opportunists, who are trying to create a clash between Somalia and our neighbors.†Two weeks ago, the Islamist leadership that has taken control of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, accused Ethiopia of sending several hundred troops into Somalia in order to prop up the internationally recognized, but weak interim government. Militias loyal to the Islamist leaders in Mogadishu now control a large area of southern Somalia.
To put it politely, I think, Cali Geedi is making misleading statement at best!
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