We 'must fight Ethiopian troops'

2006-07-24 13:07

Mogadishu - More than 5 000 people gathered for an anti-Ethiopia protest in the capital on Monday, days after troops from neighbouring Ethiopia arrived to protect Somalia's virtually powerless government from Islamic militants.

The protesters, gathered in a stadium in northern Mogadishu, chanted anti-Ethiopian slogans and carried signs that said, "We Must Fight Them!" Ethiopia, a largely Christian country, was the traditional enemy of largely Muslim Somalia.

Such protests had been organised by Islamic militants who were accused of links to al-Qaeda and had seized control of the capital and a large part of southern Somalia.

Somalis told to 'be ready for a war'

Ethiopian and Somali government officials had denied Ethiopian troops were in the country, but Somali witnesses in several towns reported seeing them cross from Ethiopia four days ago and went first to Baidoa, the only town held by the government, and later to nearby Wajid.

Somali government leaders might be reluctant to acknowledge that Ethiopian troops had come to their aid because they didn't want to appear to be beholden to the country's traditional adversary. Anti-Ethiopian sentiment still ran high here.

On Sunday, a top Islamic leader, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, said: "I call on Somalis to be ready for a holy war against an invasion from the enemy of the religion and the country."

Ethiopia's move could give the internationally recognised Somali government its only chance of curbing the Islamic militia's increasing power. But, the incursion could also be the pretext the militiamen needed to build public support for a guerrilla war.

Warlords overthrew dictator Barre

Somalia had not had an effective central government for 15 years since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and later turned on each other. Some of those warlords now sat on the transitional government.

Earlier on Monday, a Somali warlord and 150 of his militiamen offered their support to the government. Mohamed Dooli, one of Qanyare's militia commanders said Mohamed Qanyare Afrah arrived in Baidoa, the seat of President Abdullahi Yusuf's government, at 04:30.

According to a report from a Somali human rights group, Qanyare was among a group of secular warlords and their allies who fought the Islamic militia for control of Mogadishu between February and June in battles that killed 400 civilians.

Dooli said the secular warlords, who reportedly had been backed by the United States, were routed and Qanyare retreated to his home village in central Somalia, where Islamic militia pursued him to try and force him to surrender his weapons.

Qanyare was able to reach Baidoa, 240km northwest of Mogadishu, with eight pickups mounted with machine-guns, the main mobile weapon in Somalia.

- AP