Ethiopia expands border well into Hiiraan/Somalia.

[Meiji]

Ethiopia denies re-entering Somalia

 

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia denied on Tuesday that its troops had re-entered Somalia to counter the militant Islamist group al Shabaab.

 

"This is absolutely false. The army is within the Ethiopian border. There is no intention to go back," minister and chief government spokesman Bereket Simon told Reuters.

 

He described the version of an Ethiopian incursion, given by locals in the area, as a "wicked" attempt to detract from positive developments in Somalia.

 

SOURCE: Reuters, Tuesday, February 03, 2009

 

 

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[Meiji]

Ethiopian troops crossing back into Somalia

 

MOGADISHU (AFP) — Ethiopian troops have crossed the border back into central Somalia, only days after Addis Ababa completed a military pullout from its neighbour, witnesses and officials said Tuesday.

 

An official for the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), the movement of newly-elected Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, said some Ethiopian troops had crossed from the border town of Ferfer to the village of Kalaber.

 

"The Ethiopian forces are violating the basic integrity of Somalia again and they entered the Hiran region only days after their government announced its complete withdrawal from the country," Ahmed Osman Abdalla, ICU commander in the nearby western town of Beledweyn, told AFP by phone.

 

"If they do not pull out of our country, we will fight them to death," he added.

 

Local residents said that Ethiopian forces had set up a checkpoint in Ferfer and were checking trucks and other vehicles crossing the border.

 

Ethiopian soldiers patrol in Mogadishu

 

"They stopped a bus I was on in Ferfer and I could see they were checking all vehicles passing in the area," Osman Adan said.

 

Local elders in Beledweyn also expressed concerns over the return of Ethiopian forces in the region.

 

"The move shows that Ethiopia is still creating insecurity in Somalia because they sent their troops back to Somalia and they are now only 25 kilometres (16 miles) from our town," Beledweyn elder Haji Adan Mohamed said.

 

Ethiopian troops completed their withdrawal from Somalia in January, more than two years after invading to remove the ICU, which had taken control of large parts of the country.

 

Ethiopia propped up a weak transitional government and forced Sheikh Sharif into exile, but after two years of bloodshed in Somalia, more radical Islamist groups have gained influence.

 

Sheikh Sharif was elected Somalia's new president in Djibouti on Saturday and his erstwhile foe, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, described his victory as a positive step towards restoring peace in Somalia.

 

SOURCE: AFP, Tuesday, February 03, 2009

[Meiji]

Since the border between Somalia and Ethiopia is not fixed and the Ethiopians have expanded it slowly throughout the years, we can and will do the same.

[Meiji]

Ciidamada Ethiopia oo gaadiid fara badan oo ay ka qafaasheen dad Soomaaliyeed ku heysta deegaanka Kalabeyrka degmada Jawiil ee gobolka Hiiraan.

 

Shabelle: JAWIIL

 

Ciidamada Ethiopia ayaa 5-gaari waxaa ay ka qafaasheen deegaanka Kalabeyra degmada Jawiil ee gobolka Hiiraan ee bartamaha dalka soomaaliya.

 

 

 

Tan iyo markii ciidamada Ethiopia ay fariisinka ka dhigteen deegaanka Kalabeyrka degmada Jawiil ee gobolka Hiiraan islamarkaana ay isa soo tarayeen cabashada ka soo yeeraysa gaadiidlayda safarka ah iyo dadka socotada ah ee isticlaa wadadaasi ayaa haatan waxaa soo baxaya warar sheegaya in ciidamada Ethiopian-ka ay qabsadeen ilaa 5-gaari oo ay saarenaayeen shixnado isugu jira raashin iyo shidaal halka kuwana ay ahaayeen kuwa dadweynaha xambaara.

 

 

 

Wararka qaar ayaa sheegaya in gaadiidka ay gacanta ku dhigeen ciidamada Ethiopia ay ka yimaadeen magaalada Gaalkacyo iyo degmooyinka gobolka Galgaduud ee bartamaha Soomaaliya iyado aan la ogeyn sababta dhabta ah ee ka dambaysa qabsashada gaadiidkaasi.

 

 

 

Gaadiidlay qaar oo la hadlayay idaacada Shabelle ayaa waxaa ay sheegeen in aysan garaneyn ujeedada dhabta ah ee ka dambaysa in ciidamada Ethiopia ay qabsadaan gaadiidkooda,balse wararka qaar ayaa sheegaya in ciidamada Ethiopia ay gaadiidkaasi u haystaan lacago canshuuro ah oo ay ka waayeen wadayaashii gaadiidkaasi waday.

 

 

Horay ayaa ciidamada Ethiopia waxaa ay xadka dalka Ethiopia la galeen gaadiid fara badan oo ay ka qafaasheen dad Soomaaliyeed kuwaasi oo ay gacanta ku dhigeen xiliyadii ay ku sugnaayeen gobolada koofureed ee Soomaaliya, waxaana dadka reer Hiiraan ay haatan is weydiinayaan sababta ciidamada Ethiopia ay ugu soo noq noqdaan isgoyska Kalabeyrka ee gobolka Hiiraan mar ahdii lagu heshiiyay in ciidamada Ethiopia ay ka baxaan Soomaaliya.

[Meiji]

Are people that ignorant and oblivious to this obvious Ethiopian expansion of the border well into Hiiraan, or am I paranoid?

 

A glimse of those newsreports already makes it clear:

 

 

1) "This is absolutely false. The army is within the Ethiopian border. There is no intention to go back," minister and chief government spokesman Bereket Simon told Reuters.

 

 

2) balse wararka qaar ayaa sheegaya in ciidamada Ethiopia ay gaadiidkaasi u haystaan lacago canshuuro ah oo ay ka waayeen wadayaashii gaadiidkaasi waday.

 

1+2=? Ethiopian expansion of the border, and their ''taxation'' and coming ''administration'' of these newly annexed Somali lands well into Hiiraan.

 

A look at the historic expansion and annexation of Somali lands by the Abbysinians shows that the current situation is no different then the previous loss of Somali lands to Abbysinians.

 

Now am I paranoid or are most Somali people that ignorant and indifferent to the current annexation of Somali lands well within the borders of Somalia?

[me]

Canshuuro? since when ay Xabashi cansuuri kartaa Baabuur maraysa Dhulka Jamhuuyiyada Soomaaliyeed?

 

Ujeedada Xabashi waxa weeye inay Somalia kala jarto.

 

Dagaalku wuu sii soconayaa. Shariifku hadii uunan arintan ka hadlin ma aha hogaamiyaha rasmiga ah ee umada Soomaaliyeed ee raga la dagaalamaya cadowga xabashiyeed ayaa ah hogaanka rasmiga ah.

[me]

Juje and Meiji,

 

Iyo kuwa kale ee shabab mindiyaha u sifeysanaya. Ma idinkaa xoreenaya Dhulka hada xabashidu xalaalaysanayso? Ma Shariifka leh waan la wada noolaaneynaa xabashida ayaa far taagaya?

[Meiji]

1) "This is absolutely false. The army is within the Ethiopian border. There is no intention to go back," minister and chief government spokesman Bereket Simon told Reuters.

 

---

 

That line is more disturbing, the Ethiopian official claims that those lands in Hiiraan (Jawiil and isgoyska Kalabeyr) are ''within the Ethiopian border'' and that they have ''no intention to go back''.

 

As for Sh.Shariif, in the current state he can do little like all paper-presidents before him.

 

An effective policy against this naked Ethiopian encrouchment and annexation of lands well into the Republic of Somalia is however to pursue a dual strategy.

 

On one hand , we should fight the Ethiopian penetration of our border-regions. To achieve this end, all armed Islamic and Nationalist factions who are fighting Ethiopian influence in Somalia should position themselves in border area's. They should actually do what they are claiming as a core element in their ideologies: ''fighting Ethiopian invasion of Somalia''.

 

There is no need to spend critical resources on fighting for political power in Somalia and in this process wasting these resources against other Somali factions.

 

So coordination and cooperation between the Islamist/Somali forces who are against Ethiopian annexation is critical, and should be a priority among the genuine factions that care for the interest and security of Somalia.

 

The other side of the dual-strategy should be: slow but crucial internal institutional building for the Somali regions, so that these institutions will protect Somali civilians in the harsh reality of statelessness. Also, by developing the regions and mitigating the effects of statelessness we can clear the bad amongst ourselves, i.e those that Ethiopians employ for their goal of annexation of Somali lands. Without clearing and organizing the rear, there is no need to adopt aggressive, offensive/defensive policies.

 

This internal institutional building for the Somali regions requires careful coordination and cooperation amongst the different segments of society. Without the mobilization of all segments of society and coordinating their efforts towards the goal of internal institutional building there is no way we can clear the rear, and defend ourselves effectively at the front-line.

 

Now, my criticism of the factions in Somalia (Alshabab, ICU, Aweys, Sh.sharif, Mogadishu elders etc) stands strong as long as these different factions spend their resources and energies on eachother while the enemy at the gates sets up his administration well into our lands.

 

Sh.Shariif can do little since he is president on paper, and his paper regime has no teeth.

 

The religious factions too can do little against Ethiopian annexation. They have discredited themselves. They all agree on the need for Islamic Law in Somalia and the fight against Ethiopian encrouchment and influence in Somalia, yet they are desperately focused on each other and if the trend continues will surely waste their resources and energies against each other while Ethiopians set up their taxation administrations well into Somali lands.

 

What they can do however is to cooperate with each other, and adopt something in the form of the dual strategy.

 

Sh.Shariif and his group should wage the political struggle against Ethiopia, Religious factions should wage the military struggle against Ethiopia IN border area's, while civil society, religious leaders, elders, young students etc focus on the crucial but slow process of internal institutional building.

[Meiji]

Originally posted by me:

Juje and Meiji,

 

Iyo kuwa kale ee shabab mindiyaha u sifeysanaya. Ma idinkaa xoreenaya Dhulka hada xabashidu xalaalaysanayso? Ma Shariifka leh waan la wada noolaaneynaa xabashida ayaa far taagaya?

Shabaab is not the only faction that fought and is still ready to fight the Ethiopians in Somalia.

 

Also, let these different Islamic factions cooperate with eachother and do something tangible about Ethiopian annexation of Somalia.

 

The current modus operandi of these factions is something that should not be tolerated.

[me]

Shabab was the spearhead of the resistance no denying that either and all the tough talk lately (in various threads here on SOL) is exactly what the Ethiopians want. The Sharif government is just another Ethiopian ploy to divide The Somali people.

 

It is time that you two guys reevaluated your stance on the shabab resistance fighters.

[Meiji]

Ethiopian annexation and the countering of that is one side of the story.

 

Peaceful internal development of Somali regions is the other side of the story.

 

Both ends can be achieved by Somali groups that can compromise amongst eachother and are willing to cooperate with other segments of society.

 

Alshabab and Asmara faction are in the category of radical factions that can not compromise and would not allow other segments of society to operate freely and actually govern themselves.

[me]

Shabab and Asmara are a reaction to the brutal Ethiopian occupation and the continuing Ethiopian meddling and harassment.

 

A region can be governed when it's free. First energy should be put into the liberation of the Somali regions still under Ethiopian control. Only then can we talk about how to govern those regions. Ask yourself will the Ethiopians let you govern the regions they control? If your answer to that is negative then why are we talking about governing when it’s time for fighting? Asmara and the Shabab have proven to be capable fighters and they have already defeated the Ethiopians.

 

Only they can defeat the Xabash.

 

The Sharif and his supporters should not stand in the way of the Shabab & Asmara and aid the Xabash.

[Meiji]

Fighting has a purpose.

 

Ethiopian occupation has been defeated in most of Somalia.

 

You are right in one aspect, the different factions should not stand in each other's way and do what they can do best.

 

Let those who are good at fighting do the fighting, and let those who are good at building to do building, and let those who are good at diplomacy do the diplomacy etc.

 

So, as already made clear in the dual-strategy, armed Islamic factions should put aside their petty differences about interpretation of theological issues and act as the army of Somalia and formally be stationed in border regions in order to defend the border from any Ethiopian incursions. So, in other words, let them collaborate with Sh.Shariif's plans of creating a national army and not stand in the way. Their fierce opposition and defiance only aids the Xabashi.

[me]

That’s nice talking here. How do the threats against the Shabab in various media portals fit into all this?

 

From what I can deduct from the news coming from the so-called Sharifites is that they are getting ready for a fight against the Shabab and Asmara and not against the Ethiopians that occupy our land.

 

It was not the Sharif that defeated the Ethiopians. Ethiopians didn’t leave because the Sharif had such a great pitch. They were kicked out by the young men that died in their thousands and shed their precious blood for the honor of our nation.

 

What I am saying is that we should respect and honor those that sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Somalia.

 

Only the Shabab and Asmara faction can liberate the rest of occupied Somalia.

 

If the choice is between politicians that talk the talk and the warriors that fight the fight, I would choose the warriors that have already proven their worth and not the politicians with empty promises.

[Meiji]

About the threats against the radical groups, thats the only language they understand. And it has become clear to all that since Mogadishu society adopted that kind of language we hear less aggressive talks from the side of Alshabab.

 

One particular case is the time they threatened Diiriye or Xaad and when Abu Mansuur was threatened back, they took back their threats. Another example is when the Ethiopians were defe