The Ethiopian offensive shifted the balance of forces in Somalia. For the past six months the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) had ruled Mogadishu and much of the south while a besieged “interim” government, backed by the Ethiopian government and imperialist powers, had a foothold only in the town of Baidoa. Washington opposes the SICC, saying it has links with al-Qaeda.

Since 1991 there has been little central governmental authority in Somalia, as warring clan leaders have vied for power. The crisis in that country, located in the Horn of Africa, is a result of more than a century of colonial rule and underdevelopment by successive imperialist powers—especially London, Rome, and Washington—which have perpetuated clan and ethnic divisions to maintain their domination.

In 1993-94 the Clinton administration sent U.S. marines to Somalia in the name of fighting “warlords.” It failed to impose a stable regime, however, and withdrew its occupation troops, widely despised by Somalis. In 2004 Washington backed an agreement among clan leaders to set up a new, interim government.

In 2006 “the CIA began a covert operation to arm and finance the warlords” against the Islamist forces, the New York Times reported December 26. “The operation backfired. When the payments to the warlords shifted the military balance of the country in their favor, the Islamists started a strike against the American-backed coalition and ran it out of Mogadishu.”

In June, SICC troops took over the capital and much of the south. They gained some support with their pledge to bring peace and “order,” through establishing sharia (Islamic) law, and by opposing foreign intervention. “But some of their hardline practices—like closing cinemas and holding public executions—angered some Somalis,” a Reuters news dispatch reported December 31.

After the interim regime retreated to Baidoa, the Ethiopian government, claiming to protect its sovereignty against the “Islamists,” sent troops into Somalia with U.S. encouragement. On December 12 the SICC gave Ethiopian forces a one-week deadline to leave Somalia. Fighting broke out December 19.

Ethiopian troops counterattacked, deploying thousands of soldiers and shelling Mogadishu with planes and tanks. Within a few days, the SICC forces were driven out of the capital and took refuge in Kismayo and other southern towns. Soon afterward the port of Kismayo “was overrun by [interim] government troops backed by Ethiopian tanks and MiG fighter jets,” the Associated Press reported January 2.

U.S. State Department officials justified the Ethiopian intervention, calling it a response to “aggression” by Islamists. The U.S. military has for years been training Ethiopian troops at bases near Somalia.

U.S. warships from the Djibouti-based U.S. counterterrorism Joint Task Force are patrolling the waters off Somalia’s southern coast, supposedly to block escape by SICC militants. The Kenyan government sealed off its border with Somalia. “The Islamists could bring their war into Kenya,” said Chese Ruto, a Kenyan immigration officer, according to Reuters.

Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi said January 2, “We will stay in Somalia for a few weeks, maybe for two weeks.”

In Mogadishu the new authorities called on people to turn in their weapons or be forcibly disarmed. Supporters of the SICC have been promised amnesty. “Mogadishu residents have greeted the joint Ethiopian and government force with a mix of jubilation, fear, and protests,” Reuters reported.

Many Somalis resent the Ethiopian military presence. Washington, knowing the interim government may not be able to survive by itself, has been pushing for “peacekeeping” troops from African countries, a proposal ratified December 7 by the United Nations Security Council. The Ugandan and Nigerian governments have offered to be part of such a military contingent.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home