Somalia was edging closer to full-scale war on Saturday 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 on Saturday 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.
The move of fresh Ethiopian troops into the anarchic country raises the prospect of renewed war in Somalia. Ethiopia strongly backs the United Nations-supported government of President Abdullahi Yusuf and has vowed to prevent the country from slipping into the hands of Islamic extremists. However, Yusuf’s writ does not extend much beyond Baidoa’s borders while the Union of Islamic Courts has achieved startling military success in recent weeks. The UIC militia now controls Mogadishu and other areas of the country after defeating several local warlords who have held Somalia in the grip of terror since the collapse of central rule in 1991.
The new Ethiopian incursion immediately triggered the breakdown of peace talks in Sudan as the UIC walked out of negotiations with the government when reports of the move began to filter through. That puts under threat a tentative ceasefire between the UIC and the government and raises the prospect of a full-scale war between the two. That would be a disaster for ordinary Somalis already weary of long years of war.
Many Somalis in areas controlled by the UIC have welcomed the security and order that the Islamists have brought to the country. However, others are wary that the Islamists will try to impose a strict Taliban-style regime in the country. There have been reports of cinemas being closed down as un-Islamic, and during the World Cup there were attacks on restaurants that were showing the competition.
But the UIC does not appear to be a monolithic organisation and seems split between moderates who want peace and dialogue with Yusuf’s government and extremists who want to impose Sharia law. The US has been a sharp critic of the UIC and a major funder of the warlord groupings that are opposed to it. However, these groupings were largely defeated when the UIC won control over Mogadishu.
There is also a fear that any fresh fighting in Somalia could spread into the rest of East Africa. – Guardian