Somalia Issues of recent days

Key concept :

A) Tyrant Zenawi of TPLF worked hard to give Ethiopian maritime and coastal territories and properties to EPLF in 1991, and independent Eritrea appeared in 1993 as Ethiopia became a landlocked territory divided into ethnic-homelands. He imprisoned elected leaders of Ethiopia who got the most votes in the May 15, 2005 election. He presents himself as a friend of the USA. The opposition to tyrant Zenawi in the USA is gaining support from congress men and women to bring some balance to the wrong-headed US foreign policy toward Ethiopia.

b) The USA administration supports the TPLF and engages in breaking up the nonviolently organized Kinijit party of Ethiopia that opposes the TPLF ethnic-centered governance. It finds a militarily strong local alley in the TPLF that would counter Islamic extremists such as Al Itihaad Al Islamiya, which it claims is allied to “al-Qaida against U.S. interests, including the 1993 Black Hawk Down incident in Mogadishu and the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam” (http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20060721-123349-5201r)

c) President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed of the TFG is weak militarily, is supported by the USA and Zenawi, and has established his seat of government in Baidoa.

“The Horn of Africa countries, working through the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), have helped clan-based factions to establish a Transitional Federated Government (TFG) as a way of restoring a central government in Somalia. The TFG was created in Kenya in 2004 after lengthy reconciliation talks hosted by the IGAD, which is comprised of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.” (http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20060721-123349-5201r)

d) Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, was a leader of Al Itihaad Al Islamiya, and is a leader of Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) that took over Mogadishu on June 2006 and declared a Jihad against Ethiopia on Friday July 21 after Zenawi’s army marched in Baidoa on July 20/2006. To the question; Do you still feel the Ogaden region of Ethiopia belongs to Somalia? Sheikh Aweys answered:

“Really the Ogaden is a Somali region and part of Somalia and Somali governments have entered two wars with Ethiopia over it, and I hope that one day that region will be a part of Somalia.” (http://www.ethiomedia.com/carepress/aweys_interview.html)

General comments.

The tyrannical TPLF leadership is to be condemned for interfering in the internal affairs of the State of Somalia. Sheikh Aweys is to be condemned for desiring to dismember Ethiopia. Moreover, his Jihad ought to have been directed against the tyrannical leaders of the TPLF and not against Ethiopia.

The TPLF has now opened a can of worms. A dedicated Somali force that would fight for its honor as a free country would confront Ethiopian soldiers that would fight merely because they are employed by Zenawi and are ordered to fight in Somalia. Moreover, its invasion of Somalia and the declaration of the Jihad by Sheikh Aweys will radicalize the Ogaden region and secessionist forces from there will bring greater harm to Ethiopian interests. Mr. Afeworki of Eritrea will have a field day in reorganizing forces that will support his interests at the expense of the interests of Ethiopia, and to bolster his stature.

All Ethiopian ought not to take the call of Jihad of Sheikh Aweys lightly. That call speaks volumes not only in Somalia but also in neighboring Islamic countries of the Sudan, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. All the good people of these countries cannot accept that Ethiopia would invade Islamic Somalia. The arrogant Zenawi has through his invasion of Somalia bought enemies out of the Ethiopia's neighbors who profess Islamic religion. The situation will become more tense if and when Zenawi's soldiers engage in blood letting of the Somali. The arrogant Zenawi might salivate at the prospect that his air force, helicopter gun ships, and mechanized ground forces can bring about victories against Somalis, who may have to defend their honor on a flat terrain with little cover to hide their warriors. What the arrogant TPLF leadership may not recognize is that the war once started may not be limited to a fight in Somalia.

Ethiopians across the world, either through their organizations or as individuals, must inform all people of the Moslem faith that they may come in contact with of the truth that Mr. Zenawi does not represent the interest of Ethiopia. That he has killed, wounded and imprisoned thousands of innocent and peaceful protesters to his unjust an unlawful reneging of the results of the voters who threw him out of office in the May 15, 2005 elections. That he is in power because of support western government give him and his TTPLF regime. That Ethiopians have no interest in interfering in the internal affairs of Somalia.

The Ethiopian opposition to TPLF’s tyranny must walk a balanced road of focusing on unifying efforts that would result in the removal of tyrant Zenawi and the release of the duly elected leaders of Ethiopia.

HG: 7/23/06