Ethiopian troops enter Somalia
2006-07-01 21:15
Mogadishu - About 100 Ethiopian troops crossed the border into Somalia on Saturday, said witnesses, the latest sign that Ethiopia might try to bolster this country's weak interim government as an Islamic militia gains power.
The troops entered the border town of Beled-Hawo in eight military vehicles, said Husein Ali Burale, a traditional elder.
Several other witnesses also confirmed the report.
"The commander of the troops asked the people of the town to show calm and not worry about their presence," said Ali Mohamed Siyad, a resident of Beled-Hawo.
Attempts to reach Ethiopian officials were not immediately successful.
Thousands of Somalis have taken to the streets in recent weeks to denounce alleged interference by Ethiopia.
Last month, the Islamic militia said that 300 Ethiopian soldiers had entered the country.
The president of Somalia's secular interim government, Abdullahi Yusuf, is allied with Ethiopia and has asked for its support. Ethiopia has intervened in Somalia in the past to prevent Islamic extremists from taking power.
'We can share what we have'
The interim government is internationally recognised but wields no real power outside its base in Baidoa, 150km from Mogadishu.
The increasingly power of the Islamic militia, which controls of most of southern Somalia, has further marginalised the United Nations-backed government.
Earlier on Saturday, a member of the interim government urged the Islamic militia to compromise.
Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adam, speaker of the parliament, spoke during celebrations marking the 46th anniversary of Somalia's independence from Italy.
"If both sides compromise, we can share what we have," said Adam.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since warlords toppled then president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other.
Many of the capital's residents applauded the Islamic group for ridding Mogadishu of the widely despised warlords - some of whom sit in the interim government.
- AP