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Somalia 'needs troops urgently'
30/01/2007 08:24 - (SA)
Addis Ababa - Africa must urgently send peacekeeping troops to Somalia to avoid chaos after the recent war in the anarchic Horn of Africa country, says the continent's top diplomat.
Ethiopia was eager to withdraw its forces from Somalia following a lightning war over Christmas and New Year after its armour and warplanes backed government troops in crushing Islamists who had ran the south of the country for six months.
But, pledges for a planned force of almost 8 000 peacekeepers had raised only half that number so far, with many countries nervous about committing soldiers to one of the world's most dangerous countries.
African Union commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare said: "If African troops are not in place quickly, then there will be chaos."
Somalia 'may return to anarchy'
He said: "I call for the mobilisation of African troops. We need 8 000 soldiers, today we have hardly 4 000. We cannot simply wait for others to do the work in our place."
Analysts feared that Somalia could quickly return to the anarchy that had scarred it for 15 years if no force filled the vacuum after Ethiopia withdrew.
Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi said a third of his forces were withdrawing from Somalia and he wanted the remainder out within weeks. He called for the first AU troops to deploy by mid-February.
So far, Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi had promised soldiers while Mozambique and others were still deciding. Konare called on the transitional government in Somalia to be as inclusive as possible, including moderate Islamists.
Islamic groups threaten neighbours
Konare said: "A strong government is a very representative government, which accepts dialogue with Islamic groups except those who call for holy war, except Islamic groups who threaten their neighbours."
Italian Prime Minister Romani Prodi said Rome was ready to host a peace conference to launch reconstruction in its former colony as soon as conditions were right.
United States assistant secretary of state for Africa Jendayi Frazer said that Washington was anxious to ensure terrorist groups, it said were sheltered by the Islamists, were not able to regroup.
She said: "So we are working with co-operation of the government and the Kenyans and the Ethiopians to make sure that they don't cross the border illegally or are able to escape."
Washington accused the Islamists of protecting an al-Qaeda cell responsible for bombing US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and an Israel-owned hotel in Kenya in 2002.
Washington had launched two air strikes into Somalia in the last three weeks aimed at this group, but they were believed to have escaped. It said eight al-Qaeda affiliated fighters were killed.
- Reuters
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