Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Addis Ababa/Nairobi - Ethiopia has admitted detaining more than 40 people from 17 countries in its war against Islamic insurgents in Somalia, according to a Foreign Ministry statement published Tuesday.
Since December, Ethiopian-backed government troops have been scouring neighbouring Somalia for remnants of an Islamic group that ruled the country for six months and is believed to have ties to al-Qaeda.
'Some of those who have been captured have indeed been brought over to Ethiopia. Their number is 41,' the statement said.
Previously, Ethiopian officials had been quiet about the detentions, which according to rights groups were a violation of international law.
The statement said Ethiopia had conducted its investigations and detentions in a 'transparent' and 'non-secretive' way.
The Foreign Ministry said prisoners from five different countries - Tanzania, Sudan, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates and Sweden - had been released. Some 24 are set to be released and another 12 are due to remain in Ethiopia, waiting for a final court appearance this week.
Suspected terrorists from 17 countries had been detained, the statement said.
'This real and concrete struggle is being conducted against local and international terrorism in Somalia. And it is still going on,' the statement said.
At least 400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a recent Ethiopian bombardment that was staged to purge the Somali capital Mogadishu of Islamist insurgents. Ethiopia has justified the attacks, saying its national security was at risk.
Ethiopia said it had killed some 200 militants in that recent battle, but the number could not be independently verified.
The US backed last year's Ethiopian incursion and sent troops of its own to assault the country's south after Islamists belonging to the Union of Islamic Courts fled the advance.
After the strike, the US said it missed the terrorist targets it was seeking.
An Iraq-style insurgency has plagued the seaside capital Mogadishu since the transitional government - the 14th attempt at effective rule for the anarchic state - took power in January.
More than 120,000 people have fled the gun battles and shellings in Mogadishu, using donkey carts and wheelbarrows to shuttle away their belongings.
Ethiopian troops have remained in the country waiting for the African Union to cobble together an adequate peacekeeping force of 8,000 troops. So far, only the Ugandan contingent of 1,500 has arrived.
Somalia has been without strong central rule since the 1991 toppling of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre swept the country into lawlessness and warlord rule.
Source: dpa, April 10, 2007