Somali president fears militia rule

[Wigad]

The withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia will leave the country in the hands of Islamist militias, Somalia's president says.

 

Abdullahi Yusuf, who leads Somalia's transitional government, told Al Jazeera: "The al-Shabab are a threat to the whole of Somalia."

 

For the past two years the interim government has relied on the military support of Ethiopian troops in its battle against opposition forces including al-Shabab.

 

"Unless they are stopped, Somalia will cease to exist," Yusuf said.

 

"It looks apparent that, with the Ethiopian announcement that they are withdrawing from Somalia, there is nothing in the way of al-Shabab and other Islamist militias taking over the whole country."

 

Ethiopia had announced on Saturday that it would be pulling its forces out of the country by the end of the year.

 

An Ethiopian foreign ministry statement said: "This week, Ethiopian troops have begun to make preparations for their withdrawal. This has not, however, prevented continuing clashes with al-Shabab forces."

 

Battles have raged between Ethiopian forces and Islamist fighters for the past two years.

 

Fighters with al-Shabab, the armed group that has taken control of much of Somalia, told Al Jazeera that they planned to enforce Islamic law across the country.

 

source: english.aljazeera.net

 

some were saying abdullahi can stand up to ethiopians while he says his government is nothing without them.