Reprinted from http://www.ptb.be/scripts/article.phtml?obid=33731&lang=3

Somalia: a new morass for the USA?

Few weeks after the military intervention by the Ethiopian and American armies in Somalia, the Islamist Courts seem not defeated. The American ambassador for Kenya and Somalia is negotiating with the resistance for the release of 11 American prisoners. Is the USA drifting into another morass? An update.

Mohamed Hassan
03-02-2007

During the past days Mogadishu has been the scene of demonstrations as people showed their total objection to the deployment of AU (African Union) peacekeeping force in Somalia.

The protesters chanted anti-government slogans and burned tires, a day after the African Union said three battalions of peacekeepers from Uganda and Nigeria were ready to be deployed in Somalia and will be airlifted in as soon as possible.

They carried placards that read, "We don't want foreign troops," and "Down with Ethiopia," referring to Ethiopia's military intervention that routed the Council of Islamic Courts. 1

The ousted Islamic Courts Union has strongly supported on Friday "the civil uprising" against the presence of the Ethiopian forces in Somalia, particular in Mogadishu. In an interview with Shabelle Radio in Mogadishu, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed the leader of executive council of Islamic Courts said every nation in the world, whose country is occupied, has the rights to defend itself through any means, and the Somali nation has the right to struggle for its freedom. So we see their struggle as just in order to evict the Ethiopian occupiers out of their country. 2

On Saturday, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed spoke to The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location in Kenya, where he sought sanctuary. The cleric said the Islamic movement leaders are alive and in constant touch with each other.

"We are ready to talk with the government," he said. "We are seeking peace, reconciliation and Somalis to solve their own problems through dialogue."

"Peacekeepers could not bring peace in Somalia," he said. "Their deployment will add to the already difficult security situation in the country. "Only Somalis can bring peace if they are given the chance to do so,"

Sheik Ahmed said he planned to leave Kenya in the near future, heading for Yemen once he has received a formal invitation from the government. 3

2. US military personal captured in Southern Somalia

An Ethiopian soldier who arrived in Eritrea along with eight others, fleeing the war during Somalia's invasion, has exposed the direct involvement of the US mechanized force on top of providing information and advice to the invaders.

He stated that the mechanized force had stayed for 9 months in Somalia since April 2006. Besides, the invading Ethiopian forces came across a garrison of US Army officers in the border area named Gojiland, the soldier added. He further pointed out that US soldiers took direct participation in the tank and heavy armaments units at the time the invasion was launched. 4

Meanwhile, the US government began to negotiate with the leader of the ousted Islamic Courts Union, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, over the release of 11 American personnel that had reportedly been captured by the Islamists in southern Somalia.

The Dubai based Al-Khaleej newspaper said that Mr. Ranneberger, American ambassador for Soamlia and Kenya, had asked the Islamist leader to order the release of the US soldiers who were seized during heavy ground battle between the Islamists and the American soldiers accompanied by Ethiopian troops.

Sheik Sharif set conditions before the release of the soldiers. "Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia should withdraw immediately from Somalia and America must halt the military action in the south of the country. And the United States should tell the world that 11 of its marine soldiers were seized in Somalia."

3. Political situation and peacekeeping troops remains uncertain

So far five nations - Uganda, Nigeria, Malawi, Burundi and Ghana - have pledged around 4,000 troops. The African Union official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the main challenge was raising the estimated $34 million a month to pay for the mission. The EU has pledged $20 million for a peacekeeping force and $40 million in overall the U.S has offered support. This is not even enough for two months.

The troops will have a narrow mandate: protecting the transitional government. On Tuesday, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf agreed to a national reconciliation conference. But that was followed Wednesday with what could be seen as a setback for building unity: Sheik Adan Mohamed Nor was elected speaker of parliament. The former speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden, was voted out on Jan. 17 because of his close ties with the Islamic movement. Nevertheless the European Union and the U.S. have called on the government to reinstate Aden as speaker, saying he could play an important role in promoting reconciliation and peace. His replacement is a government loyalist. 5

4. Eritrea, the main obstacle of the "Pax Americana" in the Horn of Africa

This week, Jendayi Frazer, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs described Eritrea, with whom the US has deteriorating relations, as a "source of regional instability".

President Isaias form his side gave a remarkable interview to Al Jazeera TV.

We withhold two questions.:

"You were quoted as saying that the recent US air strike in Somalia would incur dangerous consequences. Now what did you mean by that?

I think it is putting more oil into an already inflamed situation. I would like to first of all state that it has come as a result of heavy casualties sustained by Ethiopian troops in that part of Somalia. And US air strikes were called to support the retreating Ethiopian troops to Kismayo. (…)

I think we all need to state very simple facts about the situation in Somalia. The regime in Ethiopia would like to see Somalia disintegrated. The regime would not see the reconstitution of Somalia, the stability of Somalia, which would contribute to the stability of the Horn of Africa as a positive development. Here we have the United States, which has been involved in a number of areas: - Iraq, Afghanistan under so many pretext; sometimes it is terrorism; sometimes it is weapons of mass destruction. It is a number of pretexts but the ultimate goal of such an intervention is control and domination of this area, maybe because of resources, because of strategic importance of the area. So, here is a situation where an administration with a fantasy of dominating and controlling would like to achieve its goals by gambling.

You gave wholehearted support to the Islamic courts. They were defeated. Do you in some way feel defeated yourself in what has happened in the pace of events?

In the first place there is confusion on this matter. We have all along supported the Somalis everywhere. We have not discriminated. We wish Somalis peace and stability. After 15 years of chaos, we wanted to see peace and according to reports from the United Nations, the situation in Mogadishu was peaceful, after 15 years of chaos and fighting amongst warlords in the area. And because of the wish of the Somali people, not because of the Islamic courts, and that was a beginning of some kind of hope for Somalis. Unfortunately, that is interrupted now. Somalis definitely would like to see peace and stability come to Somalia . No one is being defeated. The Islamic courts have not been defeated; the Somalis have never been defeated. People who wanted to intervene for their own agendas in Somalia, have put themselves in a very serious circumstance. This is a quagmire and time will tell who is being defeated and what we witness evolve the last few weeks."6

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1 AP February 1, 2007

2 SomaliNet, Fri. February 02

3 AP February 3, 2007

4 Shabait.com, 25 January 2007 - Asmara, 25 January 2007

5 Thursday February 1, AP

6 AlJazeera TV, 29 January