NationStates Jolt Archive

Somali leader seeks military aid

Somalia's new president has appealed for foreign military help to deal with "extremists" against the peace process, a senior official has said.

The moderate Islamist used to lead an armed opposition movement ousted by Ethiopian forces in late 2006.

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7868135.stm)

His call came as Ethiopia denied its troops had returned to Somalia.

The president did not specify if he was talking about extra AU peacekeepers, a UN mission, or another force.

But Somali foreign ministry permanent secretary official Mohammed Jama told the BBC the president had spoken to the AU about "extremists who will abuse the peace process".

"We are asking the international community to assist," he added.

Ethiopian soldiers spent two years in Somalia, battling the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) led by Mr Ahmed. (time really has flown by)

He was elected president last Friday as part of a UN-brokered plan to try to form a unity government and bring peace to Somalia for the first time since 1991.

But the hardline Islamist militia al-Shabab, which took advantage of Ethiopia's pull-out to boost its control of the south, accuses him of selling out to the West.

The US backed the Ethiopian intervention in Somalia and carried out several air-strikes, saying it was targeting al-Qaeda operatives linked to the UIC - who denied any such ties.

'Big stupid naked lie'

Al-Shabab - which last week seized Baidoa, the seat of the Somali parliament - has been holding protests against the new president.

The radical group's leader, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, vowed on Tuesday to intensify its attacks on the AU mission in Somalia (Amisom), which is trying to fill the vacuum left by Ethiopian troops.

Only about 3,600 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers, from an intended 8,000-strong AU force, are deployed in Mogadishu.

The UN Security Council last month agreed in principle to a proposal to send a peacekeeping force in Somalia, but delayed a decision about such a mission until June.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last year Somalia was too dangerous to send peacekeepers. (UN peacekeepers are in the Congo O_o)

Local officials meanwhile claimed Ethiopian forces had set up a checkpoint in the Hiran region of central Somalia, some 20km (12 miles) from the border.

"The Ethiopian forces are violating the basic integrity of Somalia again," UIC commander Ahmed Osman Abdalla told AFP news agency.

But Ethiopian Information Minister Bereket Simon told Reuters news agency: "The army is within the Ethiopian border. There is no intention to go back."

dammit why can't Somalia get its shit together already? should the UN (ie the west) send troops and if so with what purpose? what policy will the new American presidency follow? what will Europe become if its supply of cheap immigrant labour comes under threat?

Now my immediate thoughts are that the US will not be doing any large scale operations for the considerable future (the honeymoon is over) so thats US initiative in this out the window which leaves only a few options:

1) Leave Somalia to it as has been done for the past 14 years hoping that the moderates maintain enough power to start rebuilding the country and the AU doesn't shit the bed

2) Send in UN peacekeepers and hope that it doesn't go tits up like past operations

3) the EU seizes the initiative and sends its own troops with the possible aid of the PLA\Commonwealth and hopes it fairs better than its operations in Afghanistan (Operation: pig aviation)

now I've always toyed with the idea of involvement in this quagmire especially as its existence causes the region no end of grief but lets be serious that thats never going to happen and the objective would be vague at best

Now my immediate thoughts are that the US will not be doing any large scale operations for the considerable future (the honeymoon is over) so thats US initiative in this out the window which leaves only a few options:This is probably correct.

Totally 1)

Especially as all the security council & EU nations have spent their cash on banks, they don't have any money to send more troops to more countries, especially when sending them results in little gain for the sender.

As far as the west is concerned, the only tangible nuisance is piracy.

Especially as all the security council & EU nations have spent their cash on banks, they don't have any money to send more troops to more countries, especially when sending them results in little gain for the sender.

being skint has never stopped us before :p

As far as the west is concerned, the only tangible nuisance is piracy.

which is currently causing quite a head ache for the world navies (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7800401.stm)

Somalia...leader?

Somalia...leader?

didn't you vote in the election last Friday?

being skint has never stopped us before :p

Probably stop us this time though :p



which is currently causing quite a head ache for the world navies (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7800401.stm)

That's because we can all only spare a token force.

being skint has never stopped us before :p

Sure it has. The only reason we got involved in a lot of countries was either the war on drugs or to stop communism in the late 90's.

dammit why can't Somalia get its shit together already? should the UN (ie the west) send troops and if so with what purpose? what policy will the new American presidency follow? what will Europe become if its supply of cheap immigrant labour comes under threat?

Now my immediate thoughts are that the US will not be doing any large scale operations for the considerable future (the honeymoon is over) so thats US initiative in this out the window which leaves only a few options:

1) Leave Somalia to it as has been done for the past 14 years hoping that the moderates maintain enough power to start rebuilding the country and the AU doesn't shit the bed

2) Send in UN peacekeepers and hope that it doesn't go tits up like past operations

3) the EU seizes the initiative and sends its own troops with the possible aid of the PLA\Commonwealth and hopes it fairs better than its operations in Afghanistan (Operation: pig aviation)

now I've always toyed with the idea of involvement in this quagmire especially as its existence causes the region no end of grief but lets be serious that thats never going to happen and the objective would be vague at best
US should stay out and the UN keeps getting fucked about in the horn anyway, so they'd do well to leave it. Really, there's no reason for us (US) to go in there and, with Djibouti apparently trying to start in on tourism and other markets that don't involve just being a port, it seems like they might know something about Somalia that we don't (i.e. Ethiopia's going to start having access to the sea through someone other than Djibouti), or at least suspect something.

Totally 1)

Especially as all the security council & EU nations have spent their cash on banks, they don't have any money to send more troops to more countries, especially when sending them results in little gain for the sender.

As far as the west is concerned, the only tangible nuisance is piracy.

Eh, also, with Ahmed in power, I really think the Arab League is more likely to turn their focus to the area. It isn't that big of a deal for us, but for the gulf states it's a bit of a huge nuisance. It would also serve them as a good distraction from the rift the Israel-Palestine conflict seems to continuously exacerbate.