Fears of war in Somalia grow: Ethiopian troops moving into Somalia

[Breeze54]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0721/dailyUpdate.html

Terrorism & Security
posted July 21, 2006 at 11:30 a.m.

Fears of war in Somalia grow

Reports say Ethiopian troops allied with Somali government advancing against Islamist militias.
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

Fears of an "all-out war" in the Horn of Africa rose Friday with the news that Ethiopian troops are moving closer to Somalia's captial, Mogadishu, which is controlled by Islamist militants. Reuters reports there are conflciting reports about what is happening.

Ethiopian soldiers were moving beyond the provincial seat of the interim Somali government in Baidoa to the towns of Buur Hakaba and Baledogle, various local residents said. Addis Ababa denies it has soldiers there, while the Somali government, which has little authority beyond Baidoa, said people were confusing its militia because they were wearing uniforms donated from Ethiopia.

Nominally Christian-led Ethiopia, the main power in the Horn of Africa, views the Islamists as "terrorists" and supports Somalia's interim government.
It has not hesitated to send troops in to attack radical Islamic militia in the past.

The Associated Press reports that the troops, who also brought armored vehicles, moved into Somalia to defend their allies, the "virtually powerless government" from the threat of the Islamists who now control the capital after defeating warlords who ruled the city for years. Although the two countries are traditionally enemies, Somalia's nominal president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, asked Ethopia for support, in a move that may be "its only chance of curbing the Islamist militia's increasing power."
But AP says there is a chance the move may backfire.

... Ethiopia's incursion could also be just the provocation the militia needs to build public support for a guerrilla war.

"We will declare jihad if the Ethiopian government refuses to withdraw their troops from Somalia," a top Islamist official, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, told the Associated Press.

The BBC reports that its African analyst, Martin Plaut, says the decision to ask Ethopia for help puts the future of the transitional US-backed government in question.

more at link....

[RufusEarl]

1. Oh great, war seems to be breaking out all over the globe!

This just goes to the fact, when the so called leader of the free world has no ability to talk then the only left to do is start another war.

[Breeze54]

2. Didn't somebody say this is WWIII?

I heard that on PBS, I think, the other night.
I can't remember the guys name. Seems like WWIII to me! :evilfrown:

[Breeze54]

3. wow The lack of response is very telling!!!

:cry:

[RufusEarl]

4. I agree, the lack of response is telling.

Perhaps we've become war weary as a group, i know i'm beginning to become numb at the mention of the word (WAR)

I was listening to PBS tonight and overheard that the american people are not rallying around Bu$h, during the Israeli/Hezbellah conflict.

Maybe the country as a whole are getting feed up with war, I think that would be a good thing.

[Breeze54]

5. I know that. It's a

given. But the telling part is that there is war brewing in a
BLACK AFRICAN NATION and you are the only person to respond at DU!!!

THAT'S the part that is very telling! I know you know what I mean....

The American people have NOT been rallying around the Iraq War.

That's an MSM fable! Thank Murdoch Prick and his ilk for that!

The dis-information war is going wonderfully!!
We have over 1 million more uninformed people than we had last year!!! :sarcasm:

And a lot are hiding their heads in the sand.... They just can't take it anymore.
And then some say I'm crazy because the Vietnam war raged all the first 22 years of my life!!!

And I just am sooooooooooo tired of war.... :cry:

Argh!!
Maybe four beers is to much for me on a Friday night. Maybe it's not enough?

:toast:

[oberliner]

9. Sudan, Uganda, DRC

I hear you.

I also don't see much about Sudan, Uganda, or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Although, I am a newbie.

[Breeze54]

10. Welcome to DU!

:)

I'm not the philosophical type. I'm pretty straight forward and to the point.
Must be that New England upstart streak in me. ;)
And here Texas tries to claim it! :rofl:

Maybe we need to post more about these issues and educate the masses?? :shrug:
This needs to be posted about more and often! JMO!

Welcome, again, to DU! oberliner! :toast:

[oberliner]

13. Thanks!

I agree that there should be more posts about these conflicts.

This article from the NY Times on these conflicts in Africa is quite interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/weekinreview/23polgreen.html

The question then becomes: What can and/or should we do about these situations?

[porphyrian]

6. Africa can't seem to get a break.

It's a shame they don't have lighter skin...
:eyes:

[Breeze54]

7. Right on!

It's so sad. Not hardly a peep out of DU regular "peaceniks"!

Why iz that?? :sarcasm:

[lonestarnot]

8. wars and rumors of wars.

[Breeze54]

11. It ceases being a 'rumor' when they cross the border on tanks! n/t

[lonestarnot]

12. Undisputed.

[blonndee]

14. I wish this were more thoroughly discussed

in the corpmedia, not that they do a good job with much, besides taking sides and rooting for more war and more war. But at least then people could realize that SOMEthing is happening and perhaps be inspired to educate themselves about it. I for one, count myself among the woefully uneducated and find myself getting confused pretty quickly when reading about the various conflicts in Africa, likely because I have literally no familiarity with or frame of reference for the conflicts.

That may explain a lack of responses. I hesitate to respond simply because I don't know enough to really comment beyond expressing sadness that this is occuring. I will, however, try a little harder to educate myself about this. Thanks for your posts on this.