Somali destroy Ethiopian flags hoisted in Mogadishu

Feb 26, 2007 (MOGADISHU) — Somali, who were angered by the hoisting of Ethiopian flag in Mogadishu, have torn the flags today. But the Ethiopian officials said this incident meat to cause friction between the Ethiopian army and the Somali public.

Flags resembling that of Ethiopia were this morning seen hoisted at three different points in Mogadishu’s Tarabuunka square with Somali script saying “Somalia, the 6th Zone” — Ethiopia’s 5th Zone is inhabited by Somalis.

The Ethiopian government has denied being involved in the incident of hoisting the flags, the Shabeelle website reported in Somali.

This incident angered many people who gathered at the scene, brought down the flags and tore them up.

So far, nobody knows who was responsible for hoisting the flags in the square and officers of the Ethiopian army asserted that this was meant to cause friction between the Ethiopian army and the Somali public.

«We did not come here to occupy this country. We came here to assist the Transitional Federal Government with whose permission we entered Somalia” said Ethiopian army officers.

Heavily-armed Ethiopian troops were this morning seen along the road near the Tarabuunka Square and the former milk factory carrying out searches and, according to them, looking for the people responsible for hoisting the flags.

However, eyewitnesses confirmed that the flags were hoisted last night by people coming from the direction of Digfeer Hospital where Ethiopian troops are based.

(ST)