Somali Islamists, opposition form new alliance
September 12, 2007 (NAIROBI) — Somali opposition leaders announced an alliance with Islamic fighters Wednesday and vowed to “liberate the country through the barrel of the gun,” raising the specter of more violence for the faction-riven Horn of Africa nation.
The new Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia was formed in Eritrea, archrival of Ethiopia, which has sent troops into Somalia to back the Somali government. The alliance gave Eritrean troops two weeks to withdraw.
Zakariya Mohamud Haji Abdi, speaking by telephone from the Eritrean capital where Somali dissidents have been holding a six-day conference, said the Ethiopians faced “extinction” if they didn’t head the warning.
“They occupy a large swathe of Somalia and it will be hard for them to escape from the Somalis if they are defeated. We offer them a safe access if they surrender now,” Abdi said.
He said the new alliance would be led by a 191-member central council, representing the four parties that took place in the Eritrea conference – an Islamic group that controlled the Somali capital until being ousted by Ethiopian troops late last year; dissidents expelled from the Somali parliament; civil society figures; and expatriate Somalis.
“The alliance has two wings, political and military,” said Abdi. “The political wing will lobby for the ejection of the Ethiopians from Somalia while the military wing will liberate the country through the barrel of the gun.”
Much of Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991, when rival warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other. The current fragile government, which is backed by the U.N. and neighboring Ethiopia, has struggled to assert control and has been attacked by insurgents almost daily since December, when it toppled the Islamic group from power in Mogadishu and much of the south of the country.
Islamic fighters vowed to fight an Iraq-style insurgency and the U.N. says they are receiving weapons from Eritrea. On Saturday, a top U.S. official said that Eritrea could be added to a list of countries that sponsor terrorism, in part because Somali Islamic leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is on U.S. and U.N. lists of terrorism suspects, openly attended the dissidents’ conference.
Fighting between the Islamic extremists and the transitional government is complicated by a web of clan loyalties. Many powerful Somali figures command their own private militias, with fighters who believe their leaders’ alliances are more important than ideology.
Thousands of civilians have been killed in fighting in the volatile south of the country and on Wednesday, UNICEF said thousands of children were severely malnourished and in urgent need of food aid. The country is deeply impoverished but aid groups say insecurity is hampering their operations.
The involvement of Eritrea and Ethiopia is a further complication. Eritrea fought a bloody war for independence from Ethiopia that ended in 1993 and another war over a border dispute from 1998-2000. Tensions between the two remain high, and they may see Somalia as a proxy battleground.
Abdi said Somalis were running out of patience with Ethiopian troops and may commit reprisals if they have the opportunity. “Ethiopians have massacred a lot of Somalis during their stay,” he said.
Human rights groups say that all sides routinely kill and maim civilians.
(AP)