We understand why the U.N. could not send a peacekeeping mission. But why not provide some funding to the African Union?
By Jason McLure | NEWSWEEK
Friday, April 18, 2008
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Photo: Scanpix
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
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Despite his poor human-rights record, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is Washington's most important African ally in the War on Terrorism. In 2006—after an alliance of Islamists that included the radical al-Shabaab militia took over neighboring Somalia's capital, Mogadishu—Ethiopia, with quiet U.S. backing, invaded, putting a U.N.-supported Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in power. Since then, Ethiopian troops have become bogged down fighting an insurgency that has driven 750,000 Somalis from their homes and shows no signs of abating. Meanwhile, only a quarter of the peacekeepers promised by the African Union have shown up. Recently Zenawi sat down with NEWSWEEK's Jason McLure in Addis Ababa to discuss Ethiopia's exit plan, its archenemy Eritrea and its alliance with the United States.
McLure: How does Ethiopia plan to withdraw from Somalia?
Zenawi: There are two issues. First is the threat that was posed by the Shabaab, who threatened to take control of Somalia and declared jihad against Ethiopia. That threat had to be neutralized, and we did that in the first weeks. From a purely Ethiopian perspective, we could have withdrawn. But we were told by the African Union and others that we shouldn't create a vacuum. We indicated we could wait until the AU could replace our troops. That has taken an inordinate amount of time.
How long will you wait?
We are most certainly not going to wait another year. It's my hope that a number of things will happen that will make it possible for us to withdraw. First is the full deployment of AU troops. Second is the continued consolidation of the TFG security forces. Third, we hope that the local process of reconciliation will make progress. We do not have to be in Mogadishu to positively influence the security situation.
Some say Ethiopian troops have helped the TFG by providing security assistance but hurt it in the long term by fomenting Somali nationalism and Islamism.
An oversupply of national sentiment is not the problem in Somalia. The problem is a lack of it. The problem is an oversupply of sub-sub-clannish attitude. Our efforts, together with the TFG, have been focused on bridging the gaps [between these] clans. As far as Islamist fervor is concerned, Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab took control. Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab declared jihad on Ethiopia. What Ethiopia did is [burst] the bubble of this Shabaab phenomenon.
How much financial support has Ethiopia received from the United States for the war?
Zero.
Has Ethiopia been disappointed in the level of assistance by Western nations?
The response of the international community and the U.N. has been less than stellar. We understand why the U.N. could not send a peacekeeping mission. But we do not understand why the U.N., through the Security Council, could not provide some funding to the AU. The U.S. has been a bit more forthcoming. They have provided support, for example, to the Ugandans to deploy their troops in Mogadishu. They have diplomatically been broadly supportive of the TFG and stabilization in Somalia.
Some say the U.S. intelligence agencies are supporting elements within the TFG that aren ' t helpful to the reconciliation process.
Before the Shabaab took over, some in the U.S. intelligence community were playing a very negative role by supporting all sorts of warlords in the vain hope they could stem the tide of the Shabaab. That policy failed miserably. Since then, the main U.S. efforts are through the AU and the TFG.
What effects do U.S. counterterrorism operations have on broader policy?
There have been operations to try to kill some of these terrorists. That's OK. But when a disproportionate amount of resources and time are spent on hunting them down, as opposed to creating the right context [for nation-building], it can be counterproductive.
With regard to Eritrea, what ' s keeping the two countries from going to war again?
One stupid war is enough. We don't want to go to war, [although] it is not for lack of provocation: Eritrea has publicly and repeatedly stated that it is training and equipping Ethiopian rebels with the explicit objective of dismantling Ethiopia.
Local elections are beginning and a number of opposition leaders who were jailed in 2005 aren ' t participating. Some opposition parties say they ' ve faced intimidation, harassment. What is the state of Ethiopia ' s democracy?
We are consolidating democracy with every step. After 2005 we [had discussions] with the opposition to address some of their concerns. We changed the way the national election board was organized. We have changed the bylaws of Parliament to make it possible for the minority to set the agenda for debate. We are now processing a new press law that we very much hope will put our legislation on par with the best in the world. So we have continuously been addressing shortcomings. Now, every time there is an election here, somebody cries foul. That unfortunately appears to be the normal practice in the continent.
Source: Newsweek, April 18, 2008
Somali people are peace of garbage and they deserve to
scrwed by the Etiopians every day.
Abdullahi Yusuf shoul be called abddullahi Zenewi
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Arab dheer waxaa qabo nin amxaar ah ee dadyahoow yeeysan idin daalin arab dheer aabe iyo hooyo midna malahan ileen amxaar ayaa soo korsadey
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Araweelo
Ignore the insults, today they are sad.
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Finally, Aisha carab la'aantii way ka tagtay oo carabkii ay dawacada ka xaday dib ayay maanta u soo heshay anti-Aisha.
Erigavo this group is hell-bent to refuse any government or law & order. The only way is to shave government down in their throat, whether they like or not no matter how long it takes.
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To the anti-peace and order, Instead of expressing grievances of why our sovereignty is in jeopardy, why not question those in pursuit of subversive activities undermining the very fundamental aspect of our sovereignty in the interest of his/her clan, those who have rejected to renounce violence and recognize the Somali government, those who on a daily basis create mayhem and destruction.
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Caraweelo (Shan raamooleey) walee adinkaa riyo ku jirto oo in Somaliyoow dhan la'idiin qabanaayo oo aad saad rabtiin ka yeeli kartaan .Ethiopia way ogaatay in hubkasto oo la' idiinsiiyo odar ma'ahan iyo baqdin ma'ahan waxkale oo aad Somalia kaqaban kartaan in eeysan jirin. Su’aasha Waxay tahay meeqa ayaa la taageeraayaa nin aad wax iska dhicin karin
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TO THE BRO/SIS WHO ******** ME BEFORE..THANKS,IJUST GOT IT NOW.
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Where i come from we shun those who dance with the enemy and she is no different.
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Waxa qosol ah, dadka ka sugaaya in niman hadba gees u ordaaya oo alshabaab la yiraah ay wax xoreeyaan ama intaas oo ciidan la dagaalamaan ay meelo fog fog wax garsiinayaan, ayadoo la ogyahay inay howshooda ku egtahay bililiqo, dil iyo argagixinta shacabka ku nool tuuloyinka iyo askar lagu gaado magaaloyin saacado gudahood. Waa yaab sida dad waaweyn oo caqli leh oo sheeko been hawaas oo kale ay ka dhigaan riyo rumoobeysa.
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Guys, it is a matter of time when Ethiopia runs for it's life and abandons it's miserable traitors and that is in sight . But what makes my day is how desperate and scared Meles sounded when asked how long he will waite before he withdraws his filthy militia . Mind you , i see them withdraw sooner than we thought . And i see them ambushed and massacred , hunted and their dead bodies scattered on the road sides all the way to Addis and that will be a celebration we will never forget . Yes , it will be a defeat that Ethiopia will always remember and it will never again dare invade somalia let alone occupy an inch of somali soil including ogaden
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"What Ethiopia did is [burst] the bubble of this Shabaab phenomenon"
kikikikikikikikikikikiki
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Melez Zenawi gave an excellent interview and my favourite answer was:
"An oversupply of national sentiment is not the problem in Somalia. The problem is a lack of it. The problem is an oversupply of sub-sub-clannish attitude. Our efforts, together with the TFG, have been focused on bridging the gaps [between these] clans. As far as Islamist fervor is concerned, Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab took control. Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab declared jihad on Ethiopia. What Ethiopia did is [burst] the bubble of this Shabaab phenomenon."
Well said Mr PM and many Somalis are appreciating the efforts Ethiopia is putting to root out alshabaab and other criminals who are playing fake religion and nationalistic tune in Somalia, while they are destroying the country and ultimately threatening the horn.
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Its only 1+ years and the Ethiopian midget is contemplating fleeing from Somalia. Good job to the brothers and sisters of the Somali resistance forces.
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Meles just made some miscalculations and poor judgement.
Jawil,
you are very much correct he is describing the
few warlords that he knows. Unfortunately, there are
also few others who support them just because of clan loyalty.
What is clear is that the majority of Somalis are nationalists.
They are patriots that is why he is bogged in Somalia.
He thought the operation (occupation) will be over in two weeks
then the long Somalia cost will be his. Now he is the big looser.
God Bless Somalia and to the hell the traitors and their masters.
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“Gacantii maroodiga ninkaan galab kasii daayey
Isna gaws libaax igu ridaan gacalkay moodaayey”, Dhoodaan.
Once upon time in history:
“Zenaawi traveled with a Diplomatic Somali passport. Everywhere he went he was greeted with open arms by Somali government officials. To the Somalis, he was an adopted son of sorts”.
He was “given an office and an expense account all paid for by Somali tax payers”.
He frequented ‘Mogadishu’s beautiful beaches played pool with our intellig…ce office..rs and was constantly entertained in our national theaters’.
Even after the “ceasefire agreement was signed between Somali and Ethiopian governments in Djibouti 1988 …. [which required] each nation to stop supporting the others armed opponents”.
In breach of that agreement:
Zenawi was allowed to come and live in Somalia and conduct his clandestine activity. He and his guerillas were given sanctuary in Saudi Arabia at the request of Somali authorities.
We’ve done for him and his rebel movement all of those favors “despite being an impoverished nation, Somalia willingly furnished both money, arms and diplomatic contacts to Melez Zenawi.”
“Today, like an ungrateful child, who was nurtured, supported and raised to be in a position to claim power, he has turned back and bit the hand that once fed him”.
What a pity! Nin Abeeso koriyoow adigaa u aayi.
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This midget with the alien face says Somalis are unpatriotic because the ones he knows the most like A-yusuf, M-dhere, Darwish, and all the other warlords, the jahaalin who are sitting in Baidhabo are true to be unpatriotic. Now Mr.midget face the patriotic somalis who are fighting with you in every corner of the Somali soil.
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I strongly disapprove those who think Ethiopia had invaded our land. The pure truth is that clan had and still destroying our very life. In Siyad Barre’s era (May Allah bless his soul) we had a peaceful and beautiful country. We had everything we wanted in our home. We were even offering jobs to foreigners such Chinese to build our country and Arabs to teach Arabic language for our children. Education, modernity and respect for one another were priority to us. All the sudden we went back to dark days destroying our life. I and millions of Somalis were forced to leave their homes by our Somali fellows when they overthrow Siyad Barre and they turned one another like anim*als dividing themselves into millions of clans jaahiliin. However Ethiopians came to Somalia on 2007 but Somalia had been destroyed to dust by Somalis anima*l clan worshippers 17yrs ago. NACALLAD BAA QABIIL KU TAAL IYO XOOLAHA QABIILKA U DUKADA NAARTA JAHANAMA AYAAN ILAAH IDINKAGA BARYEY ammiin adiinka waxan oo dhan inoo keeney belo idin aragtey
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We beg Meles to wait for another year if he can. Now the warlord militia is finished and defeated, the real war with the occupation has started. Ethiopian troops are isolated in few pockets and run when they heard that the resistance fighetrs are coming. Long live Somalia.
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It is soo true that we still have some Somalis who are clannish. Even siding their enemies. For sure this guy is happy because of our lack of unity. Hopefully, not any nore though. It should be pay back time.
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even Sanawi knows that Somalis are unpatriotic and clanish minded.
" An oversupply of national sentiment is not the problem in Somalia. The problem is a lack of it. The problem is an oversupply of sub-sub-clannish attitude. Our efforts, together with the TFG, have been focused on bridging the gaps [between these] clans. As far as Islamist fervor is concerned, Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab took control. Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab declared jihad on Ethiopia. What Ethiopia did is [burst] the bubble of this Shabaab phenomenon"
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We're tired of seeing this ugly gorilla face.
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WHAT A STUPID HABASHI .HEY ZANAWI JUST DONT GO NO WERE UNTIL WE PUT YOUR ASS BULLET
, JUST LIKE WHATS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN MOGADISHO BALADWAYNE JOWHAR
SO PLEASE GIVE US SOME MORE TIME TO KICK YOUR ASS ,
REMEMBER WERE ARE GETING A LOT OF WEAPON MASTERS
BELIEVE THAT PITCH
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