Vol. 71/No. 6      February 12, 2007

On the same day Ethiopian troops began a gradual withdrawal from Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. In late December thousands of Ethiopian soldiers, along with U.S. Special Forces, entered the country. Together with Somali troops they routed the forces of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC), which had controlled Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia for the previous six months. They established a “transitional” government whose members, with U.S. and European Union (EU) backing, had until then functioned from Nairobi, Kenya, and the Somali town of Baidoa.

Washington has taken advantage of the warring between armed groups in Somalia to step up its military presence in the Horn of Africa. The U.S.-backed government and the SICC forces are both based among wealthy Somali businessmen who control local trade and resources through the country’s clan structures.

Abdirahman Dinari, a spokesperson for the transitional government, said it might take several weeks for the thousands of Ethiopian troops to withdraw, and that a large force would remain on the Ethiopian side of the border, the Washington Post reported January 24. The Ethiopian government is nervous about dragging out a foreign occupation that will foster greater resentment among Somalis.

Dinari said 1,000 troops from Uganda would probably arrive the following week as the first contingent of an African Union “peacekeeping” force in Somalia. It will back the new government, which is weak. The governments of Malawi and Nigeria have also pledged troops, while South Africa and Rwanda have said they will not deploy soldiers. Washington has offered airlift and “logistics” support.

In recent weeks, SICC supporters have been launching mortar and grenade attacks on Ethiopian and Somali government troops in the capital. EU and U.S. officials have pressed the new regime in Mogadishu to incorporate some of the ousted Islamist leaders in order to broaden its limited appeal. Somali government officials said they would consider doing so if they “renounce violence” and “ask for forgiveness.” One such individual is former SICC leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who fled Somalia and recently turned himself in to authorities in Kenya, where the U.S. ambassador also met with him.
 
 
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