Ethiopia troops move in as AU-Shabab conflict intensifies
Tuesday 31 August 2010 / by Konye Obaji Ori
The Islamist extremist group al-Shabab said it had carried out an attack which killed four African Union peacekeepers. According to reports, those killed were from Uganda.
The Islamist group has also threatened to close the road to Mogadishu’s airport in their latest offensive.
Following al-Shabab’s increasing violence, unconfirmed reports claim that Ethiopian troops have been crossing into Somalia over the last two days to tackle the extreme Islamist group.
The latest al-Shabab attack follows last Monday’s suicide attack on a hotel that killed at least 32 people, including six MPs.
Al-Shabab also claimed responsibility for the Uganda bombing that killed at least 76 people.
Despite the wave of attacks by al-shabab, spokesman for the AU peacekeepers told reporters the mortar attack was of little significance.
"These opposition groups fire from positions three to four kilometers from our positions. It was a pure coincidence that the mortar was able to kill four and injure eight of our soldiers," Major Barigye Bahoku was quoted.
Major Barigye Bahoku also dismiss claims that al-Shabab had closed the road to the airport in Mogadishu.
“They cannot do it as long as we [the AU] are present. Every single Ramadan [Muslim holy month], these guys come up with these threats. In 2008 they said the airport would never function again,” he was quoted.
“This year they say they will chase away the brotherly African Union peacekeepers. They just make a lot of noise and that noise will never materialize to anything serious."
On Monday, Un-backed Somali President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad appealed for more international help to contain the "evil al-Qaeda-al-Shabab alliance".
Last month African leaders agreed to send an extra 2,000 troops to Mogadishu.
n 2006, Ethiopia sent between 5,000 and 10,000 troops into Somalia in support of the transitional government.
They [Ethiopian troops] were demanded to withdraw and in 2009 after MPs chose Mr Ahmad, a moderate Islamist, to replace President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who had been a close ally of Ethiopia. Ethiopian troops withdrew.
Somalia has experienced incessant conflict since the collapse of its central government in 1991, and Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda, controls much of southern and central Somalia.
Source: AfrikNews
No easy way to peace in war-ravaged Somalia
Xinhua
Friday, August 27, 2010
NAIROBI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A suicide attack in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Tuesday has once again attracted world attention to the seemingly never-ending violence in the Horn of Africa nation.
The renewed attack by al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabaab killed at least 30 people.
Observers see no easy way to peace in the country mired in nearly two decades of civil war, citing the deep division between the regional warlords and political factions as well as the lack of a strong government able to administer the country effectively.
But they also have urged foreign countries to take great care when intervening, warning outside influence may easily fuel violence, as militant forces fighting the government find this an excuse for launching offensives in the name of nationalism.
HOTEL ATTACK FOLLOWED AU TROOPS SURGE PROMISE
The attack earlier this week on a Mogadishu hotel took place after the Africa Union (AU) pledged to send an additional 4,000 troops in the capital. This will add to the 6,000 troops already deployed there to shore up the fragile government.
In a gathering in Uganda last week, leaders of African countries decided to beef up their forces after al-Shabaab carried out an attack in the Ugandan capital of Kampala in July, killing 76 people, a sign that the Somali violence has spilled over its soil.
Al-Shabaab, a leading anti-government group that controls much of southern and central Somalia as well as most of
Mogadishu, also claimed responsibility for the Mogadishu attack saying it was retaliating against the AU troops deployment.
The group has previously warned African countries against plans to send addition troops.
The country has been immersed in a civil war since 1991. The current cycle of violence started in 2008 and violence in Mogadishu has led to some 3,000 conflict-related casualties so far this year and uprooted around 200,000 people from the city.
The Western-backed transitional government, which controls only a few streets of the capital, has long promised to launch a major offensive against al-Shabaab but even itself needs the protection of foreign troops.
AU TROOPS NOT TO BRING PEACE
Analysts have questioned that the AU could bring peace to Somalia by deploying more troops. Rather they warn the organization will encounter resistance from al-Shabaab and other groups. Different Somali clans tend to unite to fight foreign forces when they consider their country being invaded, they say.
"African leaders are daydreaming. You can't solve Somalia's problems by sending in more troops," said Zakaria Mohamud Haji Abdi of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia, a group established to oppose Ethiopia's recent foray into Somalia.
Roland Marchal, a Somalia expert at the Center for International Studies and Research in Paris, said: "A guerrilla war is rarely won militarily. A political solution should be envisioned."
As evidence, al-Shabaab recently has vowed to "annihilate" the new AU troops and urged Somalis to fight the peacekeepers.
RECONCILIATION ONLY SOLUTION
The priority agenda at present for the Somalis is to negotiate reconciliation among all factions so as to set up an inclusive government, including al-Shabaab. No durable peace will come if any faction is left out, analysts point out.
The transitional government, albeit weak, could survive and serve as a starting point for the peace process if given a chance, according to David Shinn, adjunct professor of international affairs at the Washington-based Elliot School of International Affairs.
To improve the current situation, Somali forces need to be trained to the point where they are efficient forces, can serve on behalf of the transitional government, are loyal to the government and are paid regularly, Shinn told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Shinn advised the transitional government to work closely with local community leaders and local elders, and explain that if they would use their local militia, they're far more numerous than al-Shabaab militia.
In intervening the Somali crisis, the international community needs to walk very cautiously and leave the Somalis enough space to mediate themselves, some analysts have said.
AU JUSTIFIES TROOPS DEPLOYMENT
Meanwhile, the AU has defended its military approach, saying national reconciliation is impossible without foreign assistance. The foreign troops has at least prevented the collapse of the transitional government, they argue.
The organization warned of deteriorating conflicts in the country and urged the international community to get more involved into the country's affairs.
Following the Mogadishu attack, Ugandan army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Felix Kulayigye said the renewed violence would not change plans to deploy more peacekeepers.
"These attacks will not affect us. We are comfortable handling the situation," he said.
Source: PressTV
UDUB, an anti-Somaliland group
Abdirahman Ibrahim Abdillahi
July 14, 2010
Somalilanders proved that they are different than neighboring countries
in that they opted for change by means of one man one vote. As to why people chose Kulmiye is among others Udub have long enough to do something and they have got nothing to do. On the other hand, they organized numerous barriers in the way to prevent democracy moving here in Somaliland very beautifully. Included the difficulties observed during the course of the election were illegal ID cards distributed in Borama to the people brought from Ethiopia who have no rights to vote in Somaliland and the main objective was to jam an opponents ballot lever.
UDUB kept ID Cards for distribution among their followers to vote in their favor to that end People were seen holding hundreds of ID cards in their hands outside of the polling stations and distributing them to Children under 18 years to vote for UDUB. By the way many people in Borama had no ID cards because theirs were stolen from election office in Borama and cards is used by the ruling party for the above mentioned purposes; such malpractices ought to be removed from our societies otherwise the future of democracy in this country will be in jeopardy.
The next government must maintain the current democratic system or institutions and voter registration to minimize voter rigging and stop jamming citizen’s right to vote. Kulmiye party is expected to make changes in the economy, law enforcement, constitution, reshaping the house of elders and maintaining the current democratic institutions and their improvements. They should privatize any government function including to that of water supply, power grids, sea ports and airports to the private sector.
The succeeding government must create more jobs and keep democracy moving for this purpose we need from Kulmiye to concentrate on the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function such as roads, water supply , power Grids , telecommunications and social services such as schools and hospitals.
Kulmiye party should also think to stop segregation within the communities and seek changes to meaning full justice for all and take into account for all the mistakes that UDUB made during the course of their reign. However, democracy did not come easily in Somaliland but it took a lot of men and women’s resources to make the changes necessary for our societies.
Last but the not the least, I congratulate President-Elect Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud, Vice President-Elect Eng.Cabdiraxmaan C/Laahi Ismaaciil on their election and commitments to democracy and justice.
Regards,
A Four-Step Plan to destroy Somaliland in Action
By Ibrahim Hassan Gagale
Many Somalilanders, living in the country and abroad, have been warning the nation for several years that president Riyale is not committed to Somaliland cause for independence but he is a committed betrayer who is digging deep grave for Somaliland sovereignty and recognition to destroy it for Somalia.
The sequence of the subversive, political developments in Somaliland undoubtedly prove that what has been warned of before has materialized. Dahir Riyale is a national traitor whose dictatorship has nothing to do for power-love but for bringing down Somaliland. Dahir Riyale, his supporters, and foreign conspirators, who are in the treason together, have been plotting against Somaliland independence since the beginning of his wrongful presidency in 2003 with the final objective of plunging Somaliland into civil wars to create a situation similar to that of Somalia where lawlessness and anarchy reign for 19 years.
These anti-Somaliland groups believe that civil wars is the only weapon to kill the dreams of Somaliland people for independent Somaliland assuming that it would create a desperate situation that leaves Somaliland people no option or choice other than reuniting with Somalia unconditionally.
Dahir Riyale, Ismael Gelleh, the dictator-at-dusk of Djibouti, and the changing leaders of the failed state of Somalia have been involved in a Destroy-Somaliland-plan for the last 7 years.
This devised political conspiracy against Somaliland independence has four-step plan designed to succeed in bringing down Somaliland. To succeed in killing Somaliland independence, the order of this Four-Step Plan to Destroy Somaliland is set up as follows :
1. Discarding and abandoning Somaliland constitution to create a subversive dictatorship in the country eliminating the powers of the judicial and legislative branches and blocking or disrupting their constitutional services with coercive police force.
2. Ruining and bankrupting Somaliland economy with massive corruptions and bribes to weaken national sustainability, survivability and viability so that the country can not stand on its own feet.
3. Undermining and secretly fighting Somaliland recognition during visits to foreign countries creating suspicion and hesitation in countries that would otherwise recognize Somaliland. The country would be recognized by now if not damaged.
4. Holding onto the power of the country blocking presidential elections with all costs and with limitless term extensions by bribed Guurti members until civil wars are created in the country that turn it into failed state where violence and anarchy reign so that Somaliland people live in despair that forces them to reunite with violent Somalia unconditionally. Riyale’s deafening silence about Eil Bardaale armed clashes is a part of this conspiratorial plan.
It is clear now that the traitor, Dahir Riyale, and his anti-Somaliland groups, with the help of worthless penny-chasers who do not care the people and the country, have succeeded in carrying out the first three steps of the Four-Step Plan to Destroy Somaliland and now they are actively involved in implementing the fourth step. Without the existence of this Four-Step Plan to Destroy Somaliland, Somaliland would never be in the current heart-breaking political situation. Because Dahir Riyale is committed to bring down Somaliland, he has to reject all national and international calls to respect the constitution of the country and he has to purposefully breach all agreements intended to solve the political impasse. One should not or must not expect that Dahir Riyale and cronies are willing to hold fair and free presidential elections in the country knowing what they have done to it.
The only solution to save Somaliland from total destruction is, as recommended by many, to immediately remove Dahir Riyale and his regime from power as soon as possible with an organized and prepared popular uprising (Kacdoon Qaran) led by the Opposition Parties and other opposition movements targeting the residences, offices, and barracks of clan-based presidential police of Dahir Riyale and his regime.
Now it is time to choose liberating uprising over killing silence. It is the nationalistic, patriotic duty of the armed forces and police to support the national uprising for Somaliland salvation. After removing Dahir Riyale from power, the Opposition Parties have to form an interim government of national consensus that restores Somaliland reputation around the world and that paves the way for democratic presidential and parliamentary elections in one year.
During this struggle for Somaliland cause, Somaliland politicians and writers should be careful of using statements like: “It is the end of Somaliland”, “It is the beginning of Somaliland destruction”, “It is over for Somaliland.”
Somaliland is a country and a nation and will survive well the current unfavorable situation. This nation survived the atrocities of Siyad Barre’s Regime and will defeat the current treasonous regime headed by Dahir Riyale, even if necessary with the sacred blood of its sons and daughters as done before. No nation disappears from the surface of the Earth but sometimes faces difficult time.
These statements will only give political victory to the enemies of Somaliland and it is wise to stop.During this struggle for Somaliland cause, Somaliland politicians and writers should be careful of using statements like: “It is the end of Somaliland”, “It is the beginning of Somaliland destruction”, “It is over for Somaliland.” Somaliland is a country and a nation and will survive well the current unfavorable situation.
This nation survived the atrocities of Siyad Barre’s Regime and will defeat the current treasonous regime headed by Dahir Riyale, even if necessary with the sacred blood of its sons and daughters as done before. No nation disappears from the surface of the Earth but sometimes faces difficult time. These statements will only give political victory to the enemies of Somaliland and it is wise to stop.
Long Live Somaliland !
