The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
The aerial and ground assault was the first open admission by Ethiopia’s Christian-led government of its military operations in Somalia, where it has been supporting a weak interim government threatened by forces loyal to the Islamic clerics who control the capital, Mogadishu, and much of the rest of the country.
Click here to view the full report.
Kassa Ayalew; the chairperson of Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy writes:
The undemocratic Ethiopian parliament declared war against Eritrea under the pretext that Ethiopia must “stop Eritrean aggression and punish the terrorist invaders†not long a ago. As result of that declaration, about 100,000 innocent soldiers were killed in battlefields and ten of thousands of families and individuals faced tragic deportations and dire humanitarian consequences. The same parliament that has not yet learnt from its past blunder echoed again the readiness and preparation to invade the eastern neighbor Somalia in the name of protecting Ethiopians and the rest of the world from terrorists’ threat.
Mr. Ayalew continued by saying:
The truth of the matter in waging this war against Somalia is the regime’s desperation to stop the uprising resistance movement within and outside Ethiopia which has been intensifying since the May 2005 election. The elaborate scheme (fighting the terrorists’ threat) by the dictatorial regime that attempts to justify war against Somalia may play out different this time given the fact that the Ethiopian rulers’ trustworthiness credential has been shattered and their decade’s long democratic pretension has hatched for worse.
Interesting perspective to look at Zenawi’s desperate attempt to deflect attention from the political and economic crisis at home.
Click here to view the full article on the Sudan Times.
Islamic Courts Union spokesman Abdi-Rahiin Ali Mudey was quoted as saying:
Ethiopia has recently asked us to start talks with them so the deadline was basically meant to tell the Ethiopians to withdraw from Somalia, then talks they offered would be possible.
Does this mean that the threat of all out war is receding? I am not so sure but I hope that is case. We must give peace a chance.
In a statement released on Saturday, Louis Michel, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid said:
I call upon all parties to refrain from engaging in a war that cannot be won by anyone. The spoilers and warmongers of all sorts that seek conflict in order to prevail militarily are fooling themselves as well as the Somali people.
Mr. Michel went on by saying:
A new war in Somalia will have tragic consequences not just for the people of Somalia but for the whole region and beyond. We simply cannot afford to see what is going to happen.
Click here to view the full by the Chinese news agency-Xinhua.
The Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper reports:
Nearly 200 troops serving Somalia’s weak Western-backed government defected to the Islamic courts movement, an Islamic official said Sunday, as both sides braced for impending war. Sheik Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, head of the Islamic court in the Al-Bayan region, said the troops switched sides there late Saturday. Sheik Bilal told the Associated Press by telephone that the former government soldiers “are ready to be incorporated into the Islamic courts forces.†The court movement has promised to launch a holy war Tuesday unless troops from neighbouring Ethiopia, who are supporting the government, leave Somalia. Islamic fighters have surrounded the southern Sudanese town of Baidoa, the only town the government controls. Al-Bayan, where the defections are said to have taken place, is about 80 kilometres from Baidoa.
This is a major political and security setback for the TFG and their Ethiopian masters. However, the Islamic Courts forces should not make any military movement that the other side could perceive as an attack. They must hold their fire for now!
Contrary to what Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf said, there is still a room for dialogue.
Click here to view the full report
The Tennessean Newspaper writes:
Phil Bredesen; the Governor of State of Tennessee has given an unusual twist to his family’s Christmas card: He is marking a Christian holiday with a card depicting a Muslim girl. The card’s cover is a print of a painting by the governor of a young woman he met when he toured Afghanistan in March. “May the peace and joy of this Christmas season be with you and your loved ones throughout the coming year,” the card reads. “While it may seem odd to put a portrait of a young Muslim woman on a Christmas card, this Season reminds us that He loves His children most of all,” Bredesen stated on the back of the card.
Click here to view the full article.
Click here to view a full transcript of interview with Melez Zenawi, the Ethiopian Prime Minister.
Gabriel Schoenfeld of the Commentary Magazine writes:
Although Jews represent a marginal sliver—a mere 2 percent—of the U.S. population, they now hold 13 seats in the U.S. Senate, all but two of them—Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Norm Coleman of Minnesota—Democratic. (Bernard Sanders of Vermont, elected as an independent, has pledged to vote with the Democratic caucus.). In the House of Representatives, Jews, all but one of them Democrats, now occupy 30 seats.
Click here to view the full article on the Commentary Magazine.
The Pan-Arab Al Jezeera television network reports:
Leader of Somalia’s Islamic Courts militia and the influential parliament speaker said on Saturday that they had agreed at talks in Yemen to turn to dialogue between the Islamists and the government to resolve differences.†The Islamic Courts are committed to dialogue with the interim federal Somali government as a way of resolving differences … and stopping any moves conducive to military confrontations by any side,” speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said in a joint statement. The statement was issued after three days of talks in the southern port city of Aden under the auspices of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president. It said the two sides would resume dialogue to reach a political settlement guaranteeing the participation of all sides in government.
Click here to view the full report.
Terrence Lyons of the Center for Preventive Action wrote a report titled: “Avoiding Conflict in the Horn of Africa: U.S. Policy toward Ethiopia and Eritreaâ€.
The entire report (PFD format) can be downloaded free of charge by clicking here.
According to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations the Bush Administration is worried about Somalia becoming a “Terrorist Havenâ€:
Because Somalia is a chaotic, poor, battle-weary Muslim country with no central government. As former Secretary of State Colin Powell has said, “terrorist activity might find some fertile ground there, and we don’t want that to happen.†Moreover, U.S. government officials say that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network supported Somali radical Islamists, organized training camps in Somalia, and threatened American troops in Somalia who were there on a U.N. humanitarian mission in the early 1990s.
Click here to view the full “backgrounder†on the CFR.
You may also like to click here to view Eben Kaplan’s note on “Somalia’s Terrorist Infestation†notes.
Here is a list of current international vacancies in Somalia.
Ainashe.net encourages qualified Somali nationals to apply for these vacancies!
“Daawanaayow waa dalkaagiiâ€
Click here to view full list of US Information Agency’s archives on Somalia.
Stephanie Hanson of the US Council of Foreign Relations writes:
In the disputed border area between Ethiopia and Eritrea, tensions have been high all year but neither side appears willing to break the stalemate. Instead, both countries have been amassing troops in neighboring Somalia in what appears to be a proxy war. The build-up threatens to tip the entire Horn of Africa into a regional war (CSMonitor). Such a conflict appears increasingly imminent: this week Somalia’s Islamists threatened they’ll attack (BBC) if Ethiopian troops don’t leave within seven days. Ethiopia—a Christian nation with a significant Muslim population—sent troops into Somalia in support of the country’s weak, but internationally recognized, transitional government. Since the Islamists’ seizure of Mogadishu in June and the expansion of their area of control, Addis Ababa has been concerned their influence could inflame Ethiopia’s Muslims. Eager to support the enemy of its enemy, Eritrea has provided arms and troops to support the Somali Islamists, as well as other anti-Ethiopian forces in Somalia.
Ms. Hanson does not seem to understand the internal political dynamics of the Somali people. The external political and security factors certainly add more fuel to the tragic somali conflict but they are not the cause of the current conflict as Ms. Hanson mistakenly seem to imply!
Click here to view the full note on the Council of Foreign Relations.
Ehsan Masood writes on Open democracy:
On 30 November 2006, Pakistan announced what must count as one of the more far-reaching educational reforms for a generation: from September 2007, English will replace Urdu as the language in which science and mathematics will be taught in all state schools. At a stroke, the government has chosen to reverse the policy introduced two decades ago under the military regime of General Zia ul-Haq (1977-88), whereby English is not formally taught in state schools until a child reaches the age of 10.
I think English will bring more cultural pollution and destruction of traditional Pakistani values. Hence, I believe Pakistani pupils will be better off by sticking with their mother tongue; Urdu!
Click here to view the article on the Open Democray.
Simon Tissdall of the Guardian newspaper writes:
Watching Somalia right now is like standing on a beach, waiting for a category five hurricane to hit. The storm is approaching fast, there seems little that can be done, and the ensuing destruction will be terrible - and far-reaching. The looming Somali cataclysm threatens to spark a regional war, suck in east African and Arab actors, and create a dangerous new theatre in the polarising, global contest between western power and Islamist jihadism. Somalia has the potential to make Darfur look like a little local difficulty.
Mr. Tisdall went on by saying:
Three outcomes were possible at this juncture, the western source said. One was that UN-backed, on-off talks between the UIC and Baidoa government resumed, the African protection force deployed, and a “proper political process” got underway. Another, less improbable scenario was that Ethiopia used its military superiority to secure Baidoa and “clobber” some UIC training camps, enabling the government to negotiate from a stronger position. But a third, nightmare outcome was that “the Ethiopians do the full monty, go in in strength, and get stuck”, the source said. That could lead to spreading, al-Qaida-fuelled guerrilla warfare akin to Iraq, Sudanese-style Arab-African conflict, and ultimately, pressure for direct western intervention.
The International Herald Tribune writes:
Somalia’s president (Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf ) said Friday that peace talks with the country’s Islamic movement are no longer an option because the group’s leaders have declared war on his government
The paper writes that Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf of the TFG was quoted as saying:
They are the ones who effectively closed the door to peace talks and they are the ones who are waging the war.
The Colonel continued by saying:
The fighting can happen at any time now.
War should not be the first option. Somali political leaders must make peace and they should not threaten to wage war that could certainly cause the death of thousands of innocent Somalis.
David Gollust of Voice of America wries:
In a bleak assessment of the Somali situation, Assistant Secretary Frazer says radicals including al-Qaida figures have taken control of the Islamic Courts movement, and that it may be too late for a plan approved by the U.N. Security Council earlier this month to stabilize the situation. On December 6, the Security Council approved a resolution granting an exemption to the U.N. arms embargo on Somalia to allow an East African military mission to enter the country and shore up the country’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) based in Baidoa which is under siege from the Islamic Courts. Uganda has agreed to take part in what is termed a protection and training mission by the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD, but the process of assembling the force has been slow. In a talk with reporters, Assistant Secretary Frazer said the United States has lent diplomatic support to the effort, but that it may be too late to achieve the objective of Resolution 1725 - to bolster the transitional government in order to prompt the Union of Islamic Courts to return to talks on the country’s future: “It could possibly be too late,” said Jendayi Frazer. “And I think we need to be very clear that the Africans believe they asked for these two and a half years ago. When the TFG first went back to Somalia from Nairobi, they asked for this exemption. And so there are some African countries that will definitely state that we waited too late.”
Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad “Inda’adeâ€; the defense chief of the Somali Islamic Nationalists issued an ultimatum and asked Ethiopian troops to leave all Somali territories that they currently occupy within a week or face an all-out war.
Personally, I do not believe that war should be rushed to as it only brings misery and bloodshed. In addition, the TFG is so weak and powerless that it is only a matter of time before it collapses under its own weight. Hence, toppling it by forces will only create more chaos.
Peace must be given a chance!
Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad “Inda’adeâ€; (on the right).
Copy Right: Shabelle Media/Reuters News Agency.
The Irish Breaking News network reports:
Thousands of Islamic militants today surrounded the only town Somalia’s government controls, the prime minister said. It came as a top Islamic official promised to attack within a week unless troops from neighboring Ethiopia leave the country. The surrounded town of Baidoa was today teeming with soldiers patrolling the city and manning checkpoints. Ethiopian troops are believed to be based around Baidoa.
I think the Somali Islamic Nationalists should not attack Baydhabo; the provincial seat of the failed TFG. However, I do believe that Somalia’s territorial integrity must be respected. More importantly, I do believe that Somalis must have, like everyone else, the right to self defense and they must be allowed to push back Ethiopia’s aggressive attempt to annex Somalia by military force.
I also believe that the TFG must disband and choose honorable exit. Otherwise, they will be forced to go away. Hopefully, that will happen through the ballot box rather than the barrel of the gun.
Click here to view the full article.
Oryem Okello; the Ugandans Minister of State for Foreign Affairs was quoted as saying:
We have decided that at this particular time, we should not go to Somalia.
The Minister went on by saying:
The situation has deteriorated rapidly — it risks all-out war.
This is a great victory for the Somali people. No country should help facilitate Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. I hope other countries will act wisely and follow Uganda’s lead.
A new, yet to be released UN Report is claiming that the Iranian Government is secretly trying to exploit Uranium deposits in middle Somalia.
Click here to view the full report (PDF) on the Pajamas Media.
Liam Bailey of Desicritics writes:
The 15 Member United Nations Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1725 Dec. 6 2006. The U.S led resolution authorizes a regional force from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) to establish a protection and training mission in Somalia. And the lifting of the UN arms embargo in relation to supplying the peacekeeping force. The previous UN mission in the country, started similarly but ended in a bloody battle and the death of 18 Marines attempting to disarm rival factions. The current resolution states its intention to consider taking measures against those that seek to prevent or block a peaceful dialogue process, overthrow the Transitional Federal Institutions by force, or take action that further threatens regional stability. Suggesting that, like its predecessor it could become far more than a protection and training mission, which may well have an adverse effect regional stability.
I agree entirely with Liam. The UN resolution is just a farce!
Click here to view the full article on Desicritics.org
There are lots of things that are wrong with the TFG traitors. However, one thing that I do not understand is why they want to import AIDS to our country. Just imagine the damage eight thousand soldiers from Uganda infected with AIDS can inflict upon our people if they are allowed to roam in the streets of our cities, towns and villages!
Why not bring troops from countries with similar culture and religion like Arab and Islamic countries. I think there is a high level conspiracy to pollute our culture and thus destroy the very fabric our nation.
To me this is a national treason with cosmic proportions.
We must stop it from happening
Sayid Qutb; the intellectual father of radical political Islam wrote:
In summary, anything that requires a touch of elegance is not for the American, even haircuts! For there was not one instance in which I had a haircut when I did not return home to even with my own hands what the barber had wrought, and fix what the barber had ruined with his awful taste.
Does this mean that Sayid Qutb’s rejection of Western values stems from the fact that he got a bad hair cut in Greeley, Colorado, while he was a visiting scholar in United States in 1948-50? I am not so sure but some are saying so!
Click here to view full article on Rolf Putts website.
In an editorial the Arab News says:
The Arab League’s decision Sunday in Cairo to break the economic embargo imposed by the United States and Europe on the Hamas-led Palestinian administration was long overdue. Indeed it may be asked why any Arab state ever subscribed to this unjust punishment of a country, simply because its people had elected a government that Washington did not like. Hamas’ crime in American eyes was that it refused to recognize Israel and had used terror tactics, including suicide bombers. Yet no such sanctions were ever contemplated against Israel, which does not recognize Palestine and uses its own terror tactics to slay far greater number of Palestinians than the number of Israelis who fall victim to militant violence.
The people in the United States voted for Bush and the Palestinians elected Hamas led government. I am not a big fan of the Bush Adminstration or Hamas!
However, democracy is an expression of the political will of free people and sometimes it produces what some people may perceive as undesirable outcomes. However, the West cannot say, “We want to see democratized Middle East†and at the same time oppose the verdict that the very democratic political process they claim to advocate has delivered. To me that is an immoral double standard which the Muslim world must reject outright!
In short, the Arab League did the right thing to reject the misguided US policy towards the Palestinian people.
Sheikh Farah Mo’alim, the governor of Hiiraan was quoted as saying:
The floods have displaced around 80 percent of the population of the eastern part of the town and 20 percent of the western part.
The Governor continued by saying:
Most of those displaced are now camped at Jenta Kundishe, 15 km to the northeast of Beletweyne, which is on a higher elevation.
Click here to view the full dispatch on the AlertNet.
Fox News reports:
Floods caused by torrential rain in parts of southern Somalia have killed more than 23 people and displaced thousands over the past five days, aid workers and residents said Tuesday. The death toll is partly based on figures given by residents in different parts of southern Somalia contacted by The Associated Press by two-way radio, the most common means of communication in this Horn of Africa nation, which has had no effective central government for 15 years.
Click here for the full story.
Max Hastings, former Editor-In-Chief of the London Evening Standard writes:
We have learned a lot since 9/11. George Bush, abetted by Tony Blair, resolved that terrorists must be hunted down in their supposed breeding and training grounds, in Afghanistan (true) and Iraq (false). Neither military engagement has proved an unqualified success. Pakistan’s radicals pose a grave threat, but even the Washington neo-conservatives do not now propose committing troops against them. The most plausible lesson of recent experiences is that it is counter-productive to deploy large-scale western military forces in Muslim societies, even where there seem just grounds for doing so.
I agree with Mr. Hastings that using military force will make the situation worse. The injustices committed against the Palestinian people are fueling hostilities towards “Western” powers! The West cannot close their eyes about this any longer!
Click here to view the full article on The Guardian newspaper.