Djubuti intellectuals big number of them 2 welcome American base, French base, German and British militaries oh oh oh and the big secret - Ethiopian Military but reject Ethiopian military presence in any capacity in South Somalia. This is one of the reasons we ethiopians never like the hipocrisy especially perfected in the arab world. First of all the American or German units that are in djibuti are not there by themselves. Ethiopia is the one that provides emergency response, special forces support and far out protection. This is an open secret. Djibuti intellectuals are no different than their egyptian counterparts who scream at anyone making peace with Israel or America, simply because they do not want anyone to share the money they get from America and Israel. Its good that Eritrea found intellectuals from djibuti and not nomads from Afar or Somalia. lol

http://www.somaliaonline.com/

Taliban, I think the name you chose for yourself is not fitting you. lol The Somali ethiopian is moslem, unless as radio Jijiga wrote, "colonel" Hassan Tahir wants to make them moslems of a different kind. Unless you are hiding other intentions and I can guess they are 100% economic, the question of Islam on population that has been moslem longer than your taliban doesn't fly in our neighborhood. Its easy to see the fakery thats hiding behind Islam. The Somali ethiopian is big enough to speak for himself and powerful enough to get what he wants. He doesn't need imposters from Mugadishu to speak on his behalf. The ones from Mugadishu have made it a money making project or power grabbing methodology. The first thing ICU will state when and if they want to talk to ethiopia is this: 1. we respect borders in existance 2. the somali ethiopian is the only representative of the somali in ethiopia. mark my post.

Originally posted by HornAfrique: They are confirmed but I have no idea what their intentions are. HornAfrique, My question is how do ordinary farmers and nomads identify ethiopians? If its militia, there are only two states in that part of ethiopia that have their own state militia. Its the Somali and Oromia states. Even if lets stretch it and say the farmers can recognize the Somali accent and guess from which area that accent maybe, but still its really not a sure thing. As far as military hardware. Ethiopia and somalia are countries that used both western and eastern hardware. again. Are some people calling the TFG forces Ethiopian?

I see a number of SOL nomads who simply are convinced that putting the name Ethiopia explains everything, its an enemy of Somalia thats enough. This is very dishonest and hides the reality of the times. The mere fact that ICU the masters of modern propaganda have been stopped dead on their tracks and called into question about their call of "Jihad" should be enough of sign that things have changed. From my point of view these are Interests Ethiopia has in Somalia: 1. As far as the Somali State of ethiopia is concerned, ethiopia firmly and unambigously has stated from its media or constitution that the only people who can ask, talk about, demand and if need be fight for the self determination of the Somali ethiopian are only the Somali ethiopians themselves. The only interest in Somalia that ethiopia has on this issue is that Somalia republic also recognize this truth and honesty. As Ethiopians will not allow Addis Ababa to dictate the Somali or the Afar in what he wants, Ethiopia will also not allow a Mugadishu warlord be it secular or covered by Islam to dictate the choice of somali ethiopian. Its that simple and straight forward. This principle is supported even by ONLF thats fighting for self determination. So far the TFG, Somaliland, Puntland and from the just established Bay Bakool all accept this principle. 2. Ports: Yes there are a number of ports that would be more economical to ethiopia to use than what its currently using. Ethiopia also thinks the more ports are used cost can be driven down by competition. This competirion is being done constructively and destructively by Somalia side. Somaliland and Puntland are constructively competing on commerical basis with Djibuti. Yes Djibuti has sometimes resorted into unsavory and unacceptable methods of weakening Somaliland and Puntland by using its diplomatic clout of basing US, France and sometimes UK and Germany. Ethiopia in this regard has been fair player. The port issue is a two way street. Somalia actually should push for its success more than ethiopia. Djibuti, Kenya and Sudan have now established shares of ethiopia. Somalia will take more from Djibuti and for that Somalia can expect resistance from Djibuti including wanting the chaos to continue, because major infrastructure is being laid financed by EU. Once this is set it will be very difficult for port like Mugadishu for example to come in, even though about 20 million ethiopians would be better served from Mugadishu or Kismayo than Djibuti. Sudan is in a very comfortable position. Half of Amara, half of Tigray and Benshangul Gomuz are better served from Port Sudan than even Assab of Eritrea. Sudan has built a dry port and gifted it to Ethiopia for not a single penny in return from Ethiopia. The payment comes the peace the two countries have on their border. Shared business, shared risk brings shared interest. Customer supplier relationship: This is interchangeable, but Somalia would benefit more from having 70 million customers for various products and services. Unless for specific items where one is completely user and another one supplier, for most things they both interchange. Somalia may supply fruits in the south and ethiopia may supply oilseeds in north...etc Culturally: Ethiopia is an open country, but its also a very old and conservative when it comes to culture. Europeans/americans have been trying to bring their clothings, music even religion, but very limited success. You don't find Catholics and Protestants in any sizable number anywhere in ethiopia. You also do not find other sects of Islam even though the Saudis have been pouring money into poor ethiopia all these years just like their counterparts european/americans have been doing it for centuries. Its believed that clothing has been the same or similar in rural ethiopia more than 85% of the population, for millenia. One would be hard pressed to identify a moslem or a christian woman in Tigray from their clothing. A Somali singer may become likable in ethiopia and an ethiopian may do the same. Ethiopia and Sudan have quite big exchange in this area and the common population is not as big as with Somalia. Conclusion: What I expected from those SOL nomads, especially the few that write "i am more holy than you" kind, would be truthfull or closer to the truth. Instead I found the ICU people actually to be more decietful. That was very shocking to me. I read as much as I can, other websites that support religious parties like HizbAllah and the difference with ICU is night and day. Those of us in comfortable (materially) life here in the west, at the very least owe it to our conscience to avoid blatant untruths.

Taliban, What calendar do you use for this posting? Do you remember when Khat was banned and when the other things like sports on TV etc? I think you are being less Taliban now?

Its only right that we influence each other more than others. Afterall we have the longest common border, we have about 6-7 million shared peoples. Take it easy. The ethiopian will be influenced by the Somali and the Somali will also be influenced by the Ethiopian.

Taliban, Is there any doubt that ICU may have done the ban of Khat for other purposes and reasons than morals and religion, small or big doubt? Bashir only wrote what he thinks and what he observed from the timing and the areas the ban was first implemented. Afterall ICU did not implement it in other areas than the Kenya side until people started seeing the ingeniousness and complained of the unfairness.

Originally posted by duuliyesare: Telecomms In 2001 there were 310,000 telephone main lines, 27,500 mobile cellular phone lines, 75,000 personal computers and 25,000 Internet users. Source: Europa World Year Book 2003 duuliyesare, Actually the most positive things happening in Ethiopia are never shown in these numbers: example: 1. Ethiopia until 1991 had only 200MW electricity. Now only one city called Gonder consumes that much. The war of ICU as usual is connected to what is being constructed hydro electric dams and irrigation from rivers that go to sudan and egypt. 2. education - I give you example in bordering area to Somalia. The somali state only had 1 high school now has 26 3. The areas that you may have seen in 1984 or heard of people being starved to submission or death and they fought and won are now mostly self sufficient in food growing and diversified. I don't think any numbers will show you any of the above until a decade later when the students show up for work and the farmers show up for trade etc. But the single most important thing you will not see in any statistics is the civil wars we had everywhere and how federal system has completely eliminated most of them. There are now 7 out of the 9 states where there is no armed group asking for anything. That is a change never seen in a thousand years. We now can convert military airfields to civilian, military camps to housing and military expenditure to building schools. That you will not see in statistics yet.

Taliban, Do you think "colonel" Hassan Tahir is Mullah Omar for Somalia or you think, "colonel" Aweye is NasraAllah of HizbAllah for somalia. Or maybe you accepted "colonel" Hassan Tahir as the Grand Ayatollah for somalia. In deed "colonel" Aweye has taken the same title for himself - supreme islamic leader - or grand ayatollah in shiia equivalent, but do you think his actions are reflective?

I cannot wait to see the day this cartoon becomes a motto for all of us east africans.

News from some Ethiopian opposition is that the government of ethiopia has kept its elite forces, which is the largest in Africa (Commandos) has been in the northern part of the country. The TFG was more than capable militarily for ICU. There was no need for ethiopian army to go into south somalia to help TFG. Isyas learned of this and was overtime using his phone to call Yemen and Djibuti. Kenya simply ignored him and told him, its beyond any talk, now the time for talking from both sides of the mouth is over. The president of Somalia will not accept any calls in this regard. Just as Isayas called Koffi Annan and President Clinton in the middle of the night in 2000, he has been constantly calling Djibuti and Yemen. Djibuti tried, but since djibuti has burned a few bridges with TFG and by doing so with Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia; three countries that cannot do anything the TFG doesn't like, Djibuti was done and ignored. Isays is very afraid. N.B. If the governing parties in ethiopia did not insist that Eritrea be included in the parliament resolution, the parliament vote would have been unanymous. But the opposition did not want to declare defensive war on Eritrea this time and the government insisted that eritrea be the same as ICU, the resolution was passed only by overwhelming majority, but not unanymous.

Somalia: Yemen to Create Peace Talks Between Islamists And Ethiopia Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu) December 18, 2006 Posted to the web December 18, 2006 Aweys Osman Yusuf Mogadishu Reports from Yemen where Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts chairman Sheik Sharif and foreign relations chief Ibrahim Adow were staying for talks with president Ali Abdalla Salah indicate that Mr. Salah contacted with Ethiopian prime minister Males Zenawi, in an effort to create negotiations between Islamists and the Ethiopian government. Salah reportedly explained to premier Zenawi about Yemeni proposal in a bid to avert an all out war that might flare between the Islamic Courts and the Ethiopian troops in parts of Somalia to safeguard the two year-old fragile government seated in the small town of Baidoa, southern Somalia. United Notions reported last month that Ethiopian government has sent between seven and eight thousand military troops to Somalia. Ethiopia denied the number and stated it deployed several hundred military trainers and advisors in Somalia to prop up the weak government led by President Abdullahi Yusuf. Experts fear Somalia could become a proxy battleground for arch foes, Eritrea and Ethiopia. The same UN report said Eritrea, which still has unsettled border dispute with rival Ethiopia, provided Islamists with arms and troops. Eritrea as well denied the report. Somalia descended into tribal wars after warlords toppled former president Siad Barre in 1991. The Yemeni plan urges Ethiopia to endorse peace talks and Islamists not attack any particular area in Somalia or the government based in Baidoa. Only hours are left for the Islamic Courts to decide if they would attack Ethiopian forces in the country. They gave the Ethiopian government seven days to withdraw its military troops from Somalia or that they would face an all-out war. The Ethiopian government in response said, "bring it on". The chairperson of Islamic Courts, who is in Yemen for talks with Yemeni president Ali Abdalla Salah over the revival of peace talks between the transitional government and Islamists, said his Islamist movement does not intend to launch attacks against Ethiopians in the country despite the ultimatum. President Ali Abdalla Salah has lately tried to soothe the tense situation in Somalia after UN reportedly sent a letter to Salah to interfere Somalia's beleaguered situation to prevent an all out war that would spread into the region if it occurred.

The new Mugadishu warlords who declared Jihad on us ethiopians are just another face of the old warlords who used to demonstarte against ethiopia in their zones of control in Mugadishu. The old warlords accused us ethiopians for supporting the peace and reconciliation process and its outcome the TFG, and they also accused us of wanting to break apart somalia for ethiopians friendship and mutual respect with Puntlanders. The warlords purposely hide that we have the same wish and cordial friendship with the people and state of Bay and Bakool. The ICU does exactly the same, but the ICU miscalculated that the religion card maybe more profitable financially and also more easy to decieve the Somali into enemity with ethiopians. It was 50/50. Religion became very profitable for ICU. They can declare illegal whatever they felt was not profitable to them financially. They also collected money from some Gulf and arab mosques before the Jihad call on us ethiopians. But the Jihad call was also the most disaterous call for their fakery was exposed for all to see. Yemen the country and its president that were minafik for being friends to TFG and Puntland and most Somali, are now most favoured country. After all the Shieks of Mugadishu today are: Politicians Warlords Businessmen Terrorist Best combination for deception, war, war profiteering and the likes.Now the assassinations in Mugadishu will come back to haunt them. Ethiopian moslems can reafirm Allah Akuber, christians can reafirm that God is Great for giving the Somali people enough time to see the fakery being hidden behind the book, behind innocent children and behind the Taliban veiled women.

Looks like somebody in ICU has decided to make the best of the Jihad call against Ethiopia to enrich themselves. We ethiopians knew this Jihad call was never based on religion or religious process and proper procedure. Now its becoming clearer by the day that it may have been the machination of some war profiters from ICU. It seems like afterall Mugadishu's Waddads are earthly like the rest of us mortals and sinners. ___________________________________________ Somalia: Car importers protest against Islamists Sat. December 16, 2006 02:33 pm. Mohamed Abdi Farah (SomaliNet) Some of the Somali traders, who import the small automobiles and their spare parts, have on Saturday staged anti Islamist protest in the Somalia capital Mogadishu. The protest took place in front of the main headquarter of Islamic Courts Union in north of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, where many business people showed their complaints about what they called ‘the unlimited taxes on their vehicles’ People were chanting slogans showing how strongly they opposed such over charge on the cars and spare part equipments, which is more than 50% the levy. Ali Sheqow, among the car committee traders, told Somalinet that Islamic authorities have promised to do something about their compliant after meeting with Islamists. “Around 200 small luxury cars are now being marooned inside the port due heavy tariff by the ICU,” Sheqow said. It was the first of such demonstration by the business people against Islamic Courts Union in capital since it seized the power of Mogadishu in early June 2006.

Originally posted by Thierry.: 7) They have stated that they respect their neighbours and would nurture the goodwill. "The call for Jihad by ICU on Ethiopia was religiosly, morally and politically wrong, thus Ethiopia has every right to fight them in its defence" Ambassador of Yemen to Ethiopia Some ethiopian Moslems are now asking religious clerics to call for Jihad against ICU for defiling the religion and in defence of the faith to protect it from imposters misusing and abusing it. Imposters do more damage to the faith and to peoples preservation and promotion of their faith, than all enemies of the faith put together. The ICU doesn't know goodwill if it hit them on the face. ICU only knows propaganda and lies agaist ethiopia. They do not care that both ethiopia and Somalia have dramatically changed since the seventies and eighties. Population from both countries has been introduced to each other. Nobody is now a monster to the other. Somalis are doing business in Addis Ababa and Ethiopians are doing busness in parts of somalia where there is peace, order and governments.

"The call for Jihad by ICU on Ethiopia was religiosly, morally and politically wrong, thus Ethiopia has every right to fight them in its defence" Ambassador of Yemen to Ethiopia Some ethiopian Moslems are now asking religious clerics to call for Jihad against ICU for defiling the religion and in defence of the faith to protect it from imposters misusing and abusing it. Imposters do more damage to the faith and to peoples preservation and promotion of their faith, than all enemies of the faith put together.

Originally posted by Thierry.: (11) They have banned the substances that made Somali men idle. "One may not rule out, nevertheless, that those that slapped the ban may have an agenda to extricate themselves of this brinkmanship by turning the Khat into a blessed black market that could fill their war chest." Bashir Goth is an African journalist based in Abu Dhabi. The timing is also suspicious. It was done after Kenya had banned flights to ICU controlled areas.

The Khat effect: The last battle of Somalia’s Islamists BY BASHIR GOTH 18 December 2006 THE Mogadishu Islamists’ decision to ban Khat, the narcotic stimulant that millions of Sumalis use, seemed to run on the lines of the old maxim, “A word of truth used with an ill intention”. For long, Somalis have been using Khat as a pastime and for generating income to feed millions of children in a country where more than 43 per cent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Yes, Khat is a curse on the economy, health and family fabric of the Somali people. It props the economies of Somalia’s neighbouring countries; with Kenya exporting $250 millions worth of Khat to Somalia annually and Ethiopia earning $60 million a year from Somaliland alone. Most of this money is the remittances sent by overseas Somalis to feed their loved ones back home. In addition to its financial burden, the Khat causes numerous health problems; causes family break ups, wastes people’s time and energy and increases the ranks of the country’s unemployed as addiction forces millions of productive countryside people to quit their farms and livestock to Khat markets, towns and villages. On the surface of it therefore, it seems any sound thinking Somali should applaud such move and thank the clerics for ridding the community of such an age-old curse. But the timing of it may make one question the real motive of the clerics. The ban comes at a time when Islamists view Ethiopia and Kenya, exporters of Khat to Somalia, as hostile countries and accuse them of siding with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) that they want to topple. They have declared a jihad on Ethiopia and they showed their mistrust to Kenya. By banning the Khat, the Islamists have waged an economic war on both countries. It is also a quick answer to Kenya’s ban of all flights to and from Mogadishu. Banning the that, however, is different from all the other bans the Islamist have imposed on the Somali people such as prohibiting music, singing, cinemas, going to the beach for women and even denying women to go out of their house without a chaperon. The Khat is not only a narcotic that almost all Somali men and many of the women use on daily basis, but unfortunately it is the only lucrative business in Somalia that feeds tens of thousands of families. It is the main business for thousands of women who sell the Khat in order to secure food, medicine and schooling for their children. What alternative do the Islamists have for all these families one may ask? Did they think about the reaction of Ethiopia and Kenya? What about if Ethiopia and Kenya decide to slap a trade ban on Somalia? With Khat replacing tea and coffee as a hard currency earner for both countries, it is obvious that both countries will feel the pinch. According to some estimates, Kenya alone would lose up to Sh19 billion and an estimated 500,000 jobs. It is my hope that the Islamists have seriously thought about how they would feed the Somali people if both Kenya and Ethiopia decide to close their borders and airports to Somali trade. One may also remind the Islamists that when the British colonial authorities attempted to ban Khat in Somaliland it only strengthened the people’s resolve for freedom. It was also the ban of Khat that fuelled the Somali people’s resentment of Siyad Barre and eventually contributed to his downfall. Will history repeat itself? Will the Islamists revoke their decision when they feel the heat or will they stay the course until either the Khat or the Caliphate wins the battle? Only time will tell. But one thing is sure that the world may soon see an exodus of tens of thousands of Somali Khat refugees pouring to neighbouring countries and even to Somaliland, Puntland and the TFG ruled zone of Baidoa in search of their freedom to chew what many Somalis believe to be the nutrition of God-fearing people (quutul awliyaa). Khat may also force hundreds of the young Islamist militia’s, the majority of whom were the former mooryan’s (drug addicts) of the warlords, to desert the Islamists side and join the TFG, thus reversing the Islamists hitherto unstoppable advance. One may not rule out, nevertheless, that those that slapped the ban may have an agenda to extricate themselves of this brinkmanship by turning the Khat into a blessed black market that could fill their war chest. Bashir Goth is an African journalist based in Abu Dhabi.

I expect ICU to liberate a village, or failing that a hamlet from Tigray soon. So many villages and hamlets that their names never made it to a somali local media will be the talk of town in Yahoo, AFP and others competing with London and Moscow for few minutes.

http://www.waltainfo.com/Interview/2006/Dec/Colonel_Aden_Kalmoy.htm

Originally posted by Thierry.: The simple argument to refute this is, they would not ask for foreign troops if they where. Salam You mean the ICU would not need thousands of Eritrea and another thousands of OLF Oromos and unknown others from Pakistan or Chechnia if they were accepted and have trust on the Somali to welcome them as "people of the book"? I am not a military person, but from what I hear, all the ICU held territory is full of holes. There are communities who want to see the back of the Pakistanis and Eritreans who have never seen a day of peace in their homelands coming to disturbe the relaive peace these districts had. The deputy prime minister/minister of the interior seems to know something about these holes.

Originally posted by Tahliil: Yeey Mr.Habash Yusuf Tahlil, If you ever take a break from the thread mill you aere on read this. Haabesha means mixed race, thats all. Guess where the mix comes from (rightly or wrongly attributed to so many names of places and people), its from the place your ICU's were a few days ago asking for help to speak to TFG. The country is close to Puntland geographically, and now in almost everything.

Jijjiga, December 18, 2006 (WIC) - The neighbouring Jijjiga and Argessa zones located between the Somali State of Ethiopia and Somali Land have today signed an agreement to jointly undertake peace and development works around border areas. According to the agreement signed here the accord would be implemented by the administrations of Qebribeyah,Awbere,Harshen of Jijjiga Zone and Alebeday, Fireweyni, Ligubdilay and Gebley woredas of Argessa Zone. The neighbouring zones would jointly execute development works and protect the area from anti- peace forces, it was pointed out. Besides, it would enable the parties to encourage non-governmental organizations that are operating in the areas to improve the livelihood of pastoralists and cooperate in preventing communicable diseases. After signing the agreement, Jijjiga Zone Administrator, Yusuf Tahir Ismael said this is the third time that the border affairs committee is meeting, further stating that important works have been carried out earlier to change the livelihood of pastoralists in the areas. The agreement would further bolster the existing relationship and materialize the willingness to work in cooperation, the administrator added. Administrator of Argesa Zone of Somali Land, Ali Hassen, on his part pledged to exert efforts for the realization of the accord as it is crucial in fighting anti- peace forces and poverty. He further expressed the interest on his side to conclude similar agreements with Land Togder, Awdel, Degehabur and Shinile zones in the future. The administrator also suggested that representatives of federal governments attend the border committee meetings that are held in three months.

This cartoon describes of the Jihad declaration by ICU on Negash. Islam and Ethiopia being used to cover or hide the real purpose behind ICU leaders.