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Mike Clough writes an opinion article on the Los Angeles Times and says:

(…) Somalia is on the brink of becoming the fourth front in the U.S. war on terror. As in Afghanistan, Iraq and in Lebanon, the U.S. is allied in some way against radical Islamic fundamentalists. The Islamic Courts Union, a growing alliance of Islamic militants, recently routed U.S.-backed warlords and took over Mogadishu. It seeks to oust a transitional federal government, which is supported by the African Union but controls only the town of Baidoa. On the sidelines is the U.S.-backed regime in Ethiopia that is eager to lead the battle against the Islamists, who may have ties to Al Qaeda. (…) In many ways, this latest front in the war on terror is the culmination of nearly 30 years of alternating Washington policy blunders and neglect in the Horn of Africa. That history has left the U.S. with few good options in a worsening situation. U.S. missteps in the region date to 1977, when policymakers tacitly — and foolishly — encouraged Somalia to take advantage of political instability in the Ethiopian capital and grab control of Ethiopia’s Somali-inhabited Ogaden region. The move backfired when Soviet and Cuban troops rushed in to defend the Marxist regime in Addis Ababa, turning Ethiopia into Moscow’s staunchest ally in Africa. In response, Washington armed Mohamed Siad Barre’s thugocracy in Somalia.

Mike Clough concluded by saying:

With a growing likelihood of war in the Horn of Africa, Bush has little maneuvering room. He could accept the emergence of an anti-American Islamist Somalia. He could back Ethiopian intervention on the side of the transition government in Baidoa, which would lead to a bloody war. Or he could try to persuade another African government to militarily support the transitional government. None of these are particularly appealing, even when practical. This time, Somalia doesn’t seem to be going away.

I do not believe that more U.S involvement, the kind of political and military involvement Mike Clough seems to favor would have made any difference at all. The fact is that, the “Right Wing” bullish U.S foreign policy advocated by Mike Clough and his like-minded folks is at best counter-productive and at worse destructive as the catastrophic military adventure in Iraq proves beyond any doubt. Indeed, the failed U.S. clandestine military involvement made things more complicated in Somalia by helping popular political upraising that propelled the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) to higher political ground.

I believe strategic U.S. interests can best be achieved by talking to the leaders of the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia. The ICU made several important political signals indicating that they want to address U.S. security concerns in Somalia. The U.S. should not blindly refuse to engage Somalia’s new rulers exclusively on unrealistic ideological grounds that is based on dogma rather reason and realpolitik!

I do not believe that ICU is hiding “terrorists” in their camps as some “Right Wing” political commentators (propagandists) would like us to believe!

Click here to view the full article on the LA Times.

Click here to view the full report (PDF).

The Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEW) paint a grim prospect for Somalia by saying:

Prospects for the 2006 main “gu” cereal crops, for harvest from August, are poor due to insufficient rains; the rainy season is complete, with patchy results. This would lead to the third consecutive season of below average harvest. Despite some heavy rains at the beginning of the season, large areas in Gedo, Bakol, Hiran, Bay, Lower Shabelle, Lower and Middle Juba, Galgadud, Toghdeer, Sool, Sanaag and Bari received below normal rains (see map). The gu is the main rainy season (April–June) with about 70 to 80 percent of annual cereal production in normal years.

Despite favourable rains in several drought-affected regions of Somalia, the food security situation of about 2.1 million drought-affected people thus remains precarious. Extremely high levels of malnutrition persist in many areas including Gedo, Bakool and Juba Valley. Recent nutrition surveys of these areas found unacceptably high rates of acute malnutrition between 16.2 and 23.8 percent (GAM), with corresponding severe malnutrition rates of 3.7 to 4.2 percent (SAM).

This is one of the tragedies of the Somali political conflict, while the so called “leaders” (Myopic triblists) are bickering among themselves, thousands of Somalis die everyday due to hunger and starvation!

Click here to view the article GIEW website.

C. Bryson Hull of the Reuters News Agency writes:

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, a veterinarian thrust into office two years ago, finds himself clinging to power in the Horn of Africa nation. But whether he stays or goes, many believe he is the pivotal figure in deciding the fate of his fragile administration — the 14th attempt to restore central rule since Somalia fell into anarchy in 1991 after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted. After narrowly surviving a no-confidence vote on July 30, Gedi must name a streamlined cabinet by Monday and deliver on a plan of action to be reviewed in three months under a deal brokered with President Abdullahi Yusuf on Sunday. “Whether he stays is not important. It is whether he creates a competent cabinet,” legislator Abdullahi Haji said in Baidoa, the government’s temporary capital and only stronghold at home.

Interesting perspective… worth reading!

Click here to view the full analysis on the AlertNet.

The Reuters News Agency reports:

Somalia’s interim cabinet has been dissolved and a new one will be appointed within a week, President Abdullahi Yusuf said on Monday. “The bloated cabinet of (Prime Minister) Ali Mohamed Gedi’s government did not do anything during its tenure,”Yusuf told parliament. “From today onwards, the government has been dissolved, only the prime minister will remain”

Well, this should not surprise anyone at all. The TFG collapsed long time ago and Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf has been trying hard to resuscitate a lifeless government that nobody really cares about. He has also been trying hard to distance himself from Cali Geedi and the rest of failed cabinet in a futile attempt to save himself from eminent political onslaught from the Somali Islamic Courts’ Union. I do not believe that Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf will be able to fool anyone other than himself!

Cabdullaahi Yuusuf had amble opportunities to find lasting political solutions to Somalia’s tragic civil war. The fact is that he failed and he failed miserably on everyone’s eyes! Hence, he is part of Somalia’s biggest problems not part of the solution as he mistakenly believes to be. Therefore, Somalia will be better of if he goes to where he really belongs; Addis Abba! His biggest political aspiration seems to have been to be an Ethiopian Viceroy in Somalia and he did indeed succeed doing that to some extend even though it may not have been long enough for him.

As I have written many times on this page, there is no viable alternative to the rule of the Islamic Courts Union! They must be given a chance to show what they are capable of doing! They succeeded to clean Mogadishu from the tyrany of warlordism. I am sure they will be able to clean the rest of the country including the northern and easter regions!

Click here to view the full dispatch on Reuters.

The Eritrea Daily Newspaper (Online Edition) reports:

Twelve more ministers walked away from the Western-backed weak interim government of Somalia Tuesday, raising fears of imminent collapse of the government, said reports from the area. Minister of Minerals and Water Mohamud Salad Nur and three other assistant ministers announced their resignation less than a week after 18 senior officials also quit, dealing a blow to the fragile interim government. Eight more ministers and assistant ministers later resigned after Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi called for peace talks with rival Islamists, scheduled for this week, to be postponed. “We had no option but to resign because we believe if the talks are postponed again it will affect the reconciliation efforts,” Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Hassan Abshir Farah told Reuters. “Gedi’s government is unpopular among most members of parliament and its work plans will not be accepted by the national assembly,” Water and Mineral Resources Minister Muhamoud Salat Nur told reporters Tuesday.

Let’s face it; there is no viable alternative to the Islamic Courts Union. Hence, they must be allowed to take over the executive branch of the government. The Federal parliament should stay for the time being as a transitional body while the ICU consolidates the control of the country including the northern and eastern regions. Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf should go where he belongs; Adis Ababa! Cali Geedi can be allowed to stay in the country and work on animal “behinds”.

However, both of them should stand trial for treason once peace is restored through out our beloved country! Anyone who dares to betray the Somali Nation should not go unpunished! Period!

Click here to view the full report on Eritrea Daily.

Dr. Jendayi Frazer; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs was quoted as saying:

Very clearly the transitional federal institutions are considered the legitimate entities for government and they need to have some type of defense.

Dr. Fraser went on by saying:

We as a matter of urgency need to consider the request for some type of force to come in and train up those transitional federal institutions. That’s the best way to keep out these more immediate neighbours.

I agree with Dr. Frazer that federal institutions have some limited political legitimacy. I also agree with her that in order to keep the Ethiopians out, Somalia must build strong defense force. However, I do believe that the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) should be given the benefit of the doubt and should be allowed to proceed with their relentless campaign to eliminate the tyranny of warlordism once and for all from our beloved country! They have succeeded to weed out the tyrannical warlords from the Mogadishu. As a result, life in Mogadishu is clearly getting back to normal with both the Airport and Seaport open for business. It is worth noting that neither the TFG nor the United States could ever manage to achieve what the ICU achieved with such amazing speed and less bloodshed!

It is true that the ICU did not spell out their true political agenda thus far. Understandably, this makes lots of people included my self nerves. However, I do believe that Sheekh Shariif Axmed is an honest man who has the best interest of the Somali people in his heart. Unlike the more belligerent and hard-line Sheekh Daahir Caways, Sheekh Shariif Axmed looks like a true Muslim; humble, kind, gentle and soft spoken with no ill-will to anyone.

My hope is that Sheekh Daahir Caways will step down from power for the good of the country! I also hope that the ICU will be able to put screeching halt to the secessionist madness in northern Somalia soon by uniting the country peacefully.

Click here to view the full dispatch by the AlertNet.

Speaking to reporters in London, Lord David Triesman; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the British Foreign Office was quoted as saying:

I think it would be profoundly damaging to the interests of the people of Somalia … were he to be a leading member of government….. It would be unacceptable … for people to seize by force the government of Somalia.

Lord David Triesman went on by saying:

It would be deeply disturbing … if a force led by people who we have good reason to believe were involved with the bombing of embassies in East Africa were the leaders of that government.

I do not think that Lord David Triesman is in a moral position to preach Somalis about their political problems. The question many Somalis are asking is: were was Lord Triesman for past last fifteen years when the Somali people were butchered everyday by the warlords? He is talking like someone who just woke up from a long hibernation! If the truth is to be told, the British government and Lord Triesman were looking the Somali conflict with a blind eye. Indeed, I have sent countless number of emails to Lord Triesman and his office asking him what the British government wanted to do about the tragic Somali civil war. For the record, I never got more than a short reply saying “we are looking into the issue”!

Lord Triesman has never been a friend of the Somali people and I believe he will never be for obvious reasons! Therefore, he should leave Somalia to its people and to those others who care about their plight!

Click here to view the full dispatch on the AlertNet. You may also like to click here for more Lord Triesman and Somalia.

Mohamed Olad Hassan of the Associated Press reports:

Somalia’s virtually powerless government was unravelling as a fifth of its cabinet resigned in disgust and the administration’s Islamic rivals took over the presidential palace in the capital of Mogadishu. Eighteen key ministers in the 102-member cabinet said on Thursday their government had failed to bring peace to this chaotic African nation as it emerged from 15 years of anarchy. The leadership had no power outside its base in Baidoa, 250km from the capital. According to a letter of resignation issued by the MPs: “We have seen that the government can’t carry out national reconciliation and development.” The MPs included the ministers for domestic co-operation and for planning and international relations.

The MPs has a good point! The TFG has failed. It must disband ASAP! The warlords must be ejected from the transitional parliament.

Click here to view the full dispatch on the South African News 24.

According to the South African Mail & Guardian newspaper, Cali Geedi; the failed Somali Prime Minister was quoted as saying:

Egypt, Libya and Iran, whom we thought were friends, are engaged in fuelling the conflict in Somalia by supporting the terrorists.

Cali Geedi went on by saying:

We call for the international community to put pressure on these countries who want the problems in Somalia to continue.

This is nothing but foolish and a desperate attempt by Cali Geedi to smear friendly Arab countries that cares deeply about the plight of the Somali people. The fact is that Cali Geedi has failed as a prime minister. Hence, the current Somali political conflict will continue as long as he is still the head of the failed TFG.

He ordered the invasion of his country by a hostile force! Yet, he is saying that those who oppose his treachery against the Somali people are “terrorists”. This man must be sleeping walking in the dark!

He must resign as soon as possible. If he refused to do so he must be forced to leave. Working on animals “behind” is his chosen profession and he must go back to that! I am sure everyone will better once he does that!

Enough is enough… he gotta go period!

Click here to view the full article on the Mail & Guardian.

In an opinion piece published on today’s Kenya “Daily Nation” newspaper, Ambrose Murunga urges the Kenya government to use force in order to stop the Somali Islamic Courts to complete their quest to free the Somali people from the tyranny of warlordism.

Ambrose Murunga writes:

Kenyan intelligence agencies should be advising the political leadership against allowing the collapse of Somalia’s transitional government. The BBC reports that 20 Cabinet ministers handed tendered in their resignations yesterday.

She concluded by saying:

The Islamic Courts Union is poised to take over, and a radical, theocratic government in our neighborhood is a definite ‘No Way’. It is in the interests of our national security to prevent any such development, by force, if need be.

I think this is at best a sick joke! And at worst it is a dangerous idea from a mind hallucinating with ignorance about the geo-politics and ethnic tensions in that part of the world. Ambrose Murunga and other Kenyans must know that one third of what is now called “Kenya” is a Somali territory under illegal Bantu (Kenyan) occupation. Hence, it is a very dangerous political gamesmanship to advocate ideas that could destabilize in an already volatile region. I understand that Kenyans are very afraid that Somali people under Kenyan occupation will rebel. However preaching hatred is not will fuel more hostilities towards the Kenyans.

Somalis under Kenyan occupation must be allowed to decide their political destiny!

Following is the full piece! (more…)

Alisha Ryu of the Voice of America sent a dispatch from Mogadishu and said:

Nineteen Cabinet ministers in Somalia’s fragile secular interim government in Baidoa resigned Thursday, possibly in an attempt to facilitate a power-sharing deal with rival Islamists. Meanwhile, the Islamists strengthened their grip on power, accepting the peaceful surrender of its last rival secular militia in Mogadishu. The list of those who resigned from Somalia’s U.N.-backed but powerless Transitional Federal Government includes seven ministers, seven assistant ministers, and four state ministers. In a joint letter, the ministers complained that the government lacked transparency and accountability and its leaders had failed to work toward national reconciliation and development since the interim body was formed 19 months ago.

If true this is a courageous act of patriotism. As I wrote before, no self respecting Somali parliamentarian should operation under Ethiopian colonial rule. The TFG must disband as soon as possible so that a care taker government can be installed.

Click here to view the full dispatch by the VOA.

Kuwaiti Times reports:

A mystery cargo plane that landed in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu yesterday has triggered accusations from the interim government that it was carrying weapons from Eritrea to support rival Islamists. In only the second arrival of a plane to Mogadishu’s old international airport since Islamists re-opened it days ago, residents reported seeing a medium-sized aircraft with no recognizable identity land and unload large boxes. “Eritrea has brought to Mogadishu by airplane weapons to support the Islamists,” Somalia’s deputy information minister Salad Ali Jelle told reporters from Baidoa, the provincial base of the fragile transitional government. Islamists blocked the area near the airport to stop residents from finding out about the plane, believed to be carrying guns and explosives, the official said, citing residents’ accounts as his evidence.

The last thing Somalia needs is more arms. We have enough of them!

Click here to view the full report.

David Gollust of VOA writes:

The Bush administration is again urging the main parties in the Somalia conflict to commit to dialogue for a unity government, and it is calling on Somalia’s neighbors to avoid any actions that might complicate those efforts. The U.S. appeal followed reports Wednesday that a Kazakh cargo plane carrying arms from Eritrea for Islamic militants had arrived in the Somali capital Mogadishu, and news accounts last week that Ethiopia had sent troops to shore up the country’s transitional government based in Baidoa. Both Eritrea and Ethiopia have denied intervening in the long-running Somali conflict and officials here say they cannot verify the news reports. However, the State Department is taking the accounts seriously. At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said it is important that Somalia’s neighbors avoid any actions that would make the political reconciliation process in Somalia more difficult than it already is.

To me the Bush Administrations foreign policy regarding the Somali conflict is at best incoherent and it lacks strategic focus.

Click here to view the full dispatch on the VOA.

Mohamed Sheikh Nor of the Associated Press writes:

A mysterious Russian-built cargo plane believed to be loaded with weapons landed in this capital Wednesday, setting off a fresh round of allegations that Somalia has become a proxy battleground for its neighbors Eritrea and Ethiopia. The United States and other Western powers have cautioned outsiders against meddling in Somalia, which has no single ruling authority and can be manipulated by anyone with money and guns. But there’s little sign the warning has been heeded. Somalia’s virtually powerless government charged on Wednesday that the Ilyushin-76, only the second flight to land at Mogadishu International Airport in a decade was packed with land mines, bombs and guns. It said the shipment had come from Eritrea, which supports the Islamic militia that has seized the capital along with most of southern Somalia.

It looks that, detrimental to the Somali people, that history is repeating it self. Somalia was a battle ground for ideologically based proxy wars during the Cold War era! And now what have we got? Somalia as a new frontline on the “War on Terror” and Ethiopian/Eritrean proxy wars? Can a country be so unlucky like Somalia?

Click here to view the full dispatch on the Houston Chronicle.

The Reuters’ AlertNet reports:

The United Nations warned of a looming food crisis in Somalia on Wednesday, brought on by patchy seasonal rains and rising military tensions. “Somalia is in deep crisis. Additional tension or conflict would be disastrous,” said Henri Josserand, a senior official at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

“We are watching the situation very closely.”

(more…)

Following are extracts from the U.S. State Department’s daily briefing.

July 26th 2006. 12:55 p.m. DTE

TRANSCRIPT:
MR. CASEY: Okay. Afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the State Department. Don’t have any statements or announcements to start you out with, so let’s go right to your questions.

QUESTION: Let’s try something that isn’t Iraq or Lebanon. The Somalia Government, which is pretty much, quite weak, is reporting the cargo plane landing with weapons that suspect it’ll be for Islamic militants. That situation doesn’t seem to be calming down; it’s getting more precarious. Does the State Department have a view? Is this a new battleground for Islamic militants? (more…)

The Foreign Policy in Focus Magazine says:

Somalia today is very much like Afghanistan was in 1996. In the wake of years of civil war, chaotic rule by warlords, and the death and displacement of countless Muslims, a ragtag Islamic militia has moved in to take control of much of Somalia.

(more…)

The Pan-Arab Al Jazeera Television Network reports:

The leader of Somalia’s Islamist movement has rejected peace talks just hours after the country’s interim government agreed to meet in Sudan. Shaikh Hassan Dahir Aweys said the presence of Ethiopian troops sent to reinforce Somalia’s government had ruined any chance for peace. Aweys said: “Until Ethiopian troops leave Somali soil, we will never negotiate with the government.” Earlier on Tuesday, the government had agreed to attend unconditional peace talks in Khartoum.

This is a very dangerous move!

After this, the TFG becomes completely irrelevant unless of course Cabdullaahi Yuusuf asks the Ethiopians to complete their invasion through out the entire country. An impossible task if you ask me.

It is so sad to see the demise of the TFG so soon. So much time and resources were invested on its creation. However, both Cabdullaahi Yuusuf and Cali Geedi have no vision to lead the country as they could not see beyond myopic tribalist interests!

Shariif Xasan should dissolve the federal parliament as soon as possible and tell them to go home for now! A self respecting Somali parliamentarian cannot and should operate under Ethiopian occupation! Alternatively, the parliament could negotiate a peace deal the with Somali Union of Islamic Courts with the involvement of the TFG and then open the old parliament building in Mogadishu as an operational base. I am this could work well for Somalia and its people.

Bottom-line is that the TFG has failed. Hence, we must find an alternative way to govern the country!

Click here to view the full dispatch on Al Jazeera.

The leader of the Somali Union of Islamic Courts was quoted as saying:

We do not negotiate with a Government which is being helped by the enemy of Somalia.

I do not believe this is a wise move!

There should always be an open channel for a political talk between the opposing factions of the Somali bloody conflict. After all, the lives of millions of Somalis are on the line. Indeed, the future of the entire Somali Nation is at stake. Hence, we must look beyond personal difference and work for the common good of our people. Sheekh Sharif Axmed looked like a cool-headed and reasonable man and he must maintain that image by ordering his troops to move out of Bay region. He must also ask his delegates in Khartoum to resume talks with their TFG counterparts.

It goes without saying that the TFG must ask foreign invaders to leave Somali territories they captured and leave Somalia for Somalis! President Cabdullaahi Yuusuf must know that legitimate political power is something that must be earned through the collective will of the Somali people. He must stop acting like an Ethiopian viceroy! He is the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia including Western Somalia (Ogaden) which is under Ethiopian occupation!

Paul Harris of the Observer newspaper in London writes:

Somalia was edging closer to full-scale war last night as Ethiopian troops moved into a second Somali town, potentially bringing them into conflict with an Islamic militia that has taken over the capital, Mogadishu, and is seeking to spread its influence over the rest of the country. Eyewitnesses in Waajid said that about 200 Ethiopian troops had taken over the airstrip in the town yesterday morning. That follows moves last Thursday which saw Ethiopian troops take up positions in the town of Baidoa to back up Somalia’s beleaguered interim government, which is based there.

(more…)

The Reuters news agency reports:

Arab League diplomats trying to reconcile Somalia’s transitional government with the Islamic leaders who control Mogadishu met representives from both sides in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Thursday, but face-to-face discussions between the two parties were yet to take place, a member of one of the delegations said. Shaykh Bashir Adow, a member of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) delegation, told IRIN that both groups were also scheduled to meet Sudan’s President Umar el-Bashir later on Thursday. “We have had no a face-to-face meeting the TFG (Transitional Federal Government] delegation, but I expect that will happen soon,” he said. Somalia’s interim President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was leading the TFG delegation, which also included Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Gedi and speaker of the transitional parliament Sharif Hassan Shaykh Aden.

The Arab League and all Arab countries as well as Organization of Islamic States must intervene. They must, first and foremost condemn Ethiopian aggression on Somalia and its people. In short, Somalia must not be left alone for the Ethiopian wolves to feed!

Click here to view the full dispatch by Reuters.

The Ugandese New Vision newspaper says in an editorial:

Ethiopian troops are reported to have entered the Somali town of Baidoa as tensions continue to rise in the Horn of Africa. Though the Addis Ababa government has denied it, various reports indicate that they crossed the border into the city where the Transitional Government is based. The interim Prime Minister has, in the meantime, accused another neighbour, Eritrea, of arming the local forces. Somalia is in chaos again after a new force, the Council of Islamic Courts, took control of the capital Mogadishu, flushing out the warlords who had partitioned the country out among themselves since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.

The paper went on by saying:

Now the equation has changed, with the new forces gaining ground all the time and the Ethiopians intervening. The African Union must act expeditiously to defuse a potentially disastrous powder keg. The AU must take a position on Ethiopia’s role; it must work towards reconciling the various local forces. It would be shameful for Somalia to lurch from one form of instability to another as Africa just watches.

Good talk! However, the problem is the fact that the AU is a dysfunctional organization run by depots and dictators!

Click here to view the full editorial column on New Vision.

The Reuters’News Agency reports:

Somalia’s Islamists refused talks with the government on Saturday, as witnesses said Ethiopia deployed more troops over the border to defend the government’s provincial base against an Islamist advance. A second round of talks had been scheduled to take place in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in a bid to stop an increasingly belligerent standoff between the two sides from spiraling into war. “We do not negotiate with a government which is being helped by the enemy of Somalia.” senior Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed said in a letter to Islamist delegates to the talks.

Sheekh Sharif Axmed and his group must not walkout from the negotiation scheduled to take place in Khartoum. Somalia does not need another bloody civil war that could take innocent civilian lives! Everyone must do everything they can to avert war. More importantly, the TFG must realize that it cannot achieve political legitimacy by allowing foreign invasion into the country. Indeed, if President Cabdullaahi Yuusuf and his government allows Ethiopian takeover of Somalia. They will be seen as traitors and rightly so! Hence, they must tell their Ethiopians allies to stay out of Somali territory.

Click here to view the full dispatch.

Dr. Ermias Abebe of Nazret.com writes:

The TPLF led EPRDF government of Ethiopia has, today? According to the BBC front page news, sent its army contingents unprovoked into the territory of Somalia. This is a critical step that will most probably have very detrimental consequences to peace within Ethiopia and stability in the entire Horn of Africa. Ethiopians, first and foremost, as well as Kenyans and other peoples of the region should be resolute in condemning this aggression if they want the region not to be the scenery of Islam-Christian conflict with possibly catastrophic outcomes of historic proportions reminiscent of the Gran Mohamed period in the 15th Century!

I agree with Mr. Abebe that the long-term strategic security interests of Ethiopia is harmed by this unprovoked assault on Somalia and its people.

Click here to view the full article on Nazret.

The South African Pretoria News reports:

Mogadishu - Ethiopian troops in armoured vehicles have rolled into Somalia and set up a camp near the home of the interim president. Residents said the troops arrived yesterday, less than a day after Islamic militants reached the outskirts of the base of a UN-backed, but largely powerless government. A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government had said that his country would protect Somalia’s transitional government from attack by the Somali Islamic militias who control much of southern Somalia. Numerous witnesses said that Ethiopian soldiers arrived yesterday afternoon in Baidoa, the only town held by the government, 240km north-west of Mogadishu and about 150km east of the Ethiopian border. The Ethiopians drove into a fenced compound near the transitional president’s home and Somali militiamen prevented residents from approaching the area, residents said.

Somalis of all walks of life MUST defend their country against the Ethiopian invasion. President Cabdullahi Yusuf never wanted to be more than an Ethiopian Viceroy in Somalia.

Click here to view the full report on Pretoria News.

Voice of America reports:

The United States is expressing concern about the situation in Somalia, and the possible involvement of troops from neighboring Ethiopia. Islamic fighters in Somalia are reported to be advancing on Baidoa, where the country’s transitional government is located.

Click here for the full dispatch by the VOA.

The United Integrated News service (IRIN NEWS) writes:

The takeover of Mogadishu on 4 June by the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) was the most important political event in Somalia in the last 16 years. It removed a political class of clan-based extortionists and dealers in everything from drugs to people, known as ‘warlords’, which has divided and ruled the country since the collapse of the central state in 1991. Warlordism created one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises. In the absence of any significant political, military or humanitarian intervention, Somalia has suffered chronic impoverishment, exodus, displacement and international isolation.
However, the recent military victory by UIC, triggered by popular revolt against the warlords, achieved what international military intervention and peace talks have failed to accomplish since 1991. Unable to neutralise or control the warlords, the international community ultimately resorted to working with them. Fifteen rounds of internationally sponsored peace talks, held externally, in 2004 resulted in the establishment of the present Transitional Federal Government (TFG), headed by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, a former army colonel.

I am glad to hear that Somalia’s popular Islamic Revolution is getting the recognition it deserves! Nonetheless, I must say that Islamic Courts’ leaders should be prepared to make political concessions with other groups including the TFG if they are really serious about bringing peace and normalcy back to Somalia. They must also convince the world that they mean PEACE!

Click here to view the full dispatch on Reuters’ Alertnet.

According to the BBC News:

IGAD has agreed to send peacekeeping troops to Somalia - but only when it is safe to do so.

Perhaps IGAD officials are getting the message,after all! I have my doubts, let’s wait and see!

Click here to view the full dispatch.