Troubled Ethiopia-Somalia history haunts Horn of Africa

[Che -Guevara]

By Barry Malone

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

 

 

NAIROI (Reuters) - Five hundred years ago, an Imam who ruled much of what is now Somalia, led a daring invasion of Christian Ethiopia, looting monasteries, burning down churches and slaying all who resisted.

Centuries on, memories of Imam Ahmad Gragn aka Gurey still haunt both countries, and echoes of that long and bloody history still ripple across the Horn of Africa region which considers Somalia the greatest threat to its stability.

 

Back then, the Ethiopians were beleaguered as the invaders occupied some two-thirds of the country. Help eventually came in the form of 400 Portuguese musketeers, who sailed into Massawa port and embarked on a six-day march to the front.

 

Gragn had his backers too. Reinforcements from Arabia soon rolled in alongside a gift from the Ottoman Empire: 900 of its famously hardened musket experts. The war lasted over a decade.

 

Fast forward to the present day, and with Ethiopian troops deploying over the border again last month to fight Islamist rebels linked to al Qaeda, the latest chapter of a book with few uplifting passages was written.

 

Though present-day incursions and clashes are driven by strategic motivations and regional politicking against the backdrop of the global war on terror, those centuries-old grudges, raids and musket-battles still shape events.

 

"In Ethiopia, the damage which Gragn did has never been forgotten," Ethiopia expert, Paul Henze, wrote in a book on the country's history, Layers of Time.

 

"Every Christian highlander still hears tales of Gragn in his childhood. I have often had villagers in northern Ethiopia point out sites of towns, forts, churches and monasteries destroyed by Gragn as if these catastrophes had occurred only yesterday."

 

Though Gragn's ethnicity is disputed by historians, Ethiopians know his army was overwhelmingly manned by ethnic Somalis, and that stings.

 

DELICATE RELATIONS, COMPLEX HISTORY

 

Somalis, too, are haunted by past Ethiopian invasions.

 

Ethiopia and Somalia still hand-pick powerful allies keen to win clout in the Horn of Africa.

 

Its location on the Gulf of Aden and its potential as a base for militant Islam make it an ideal arena for proxy wars, influence-peddling and diplomatic skullduggery.

 

The two countries - Ethiopia then supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba and Somalia supported by the United States - fought one of their many wars over Ethiopia's mainly ethnic-Somali ****** region in 1977-1978.

 

Ethiopia's victory was helped by some crack Cuban troops, a modern day echo of the foreigners who helped in the sixteenth century. Since then, Western and Eastern powers have switched allegiances, depending on the politics of those in power.

 

These days, Ethiopia, seen as a critical bulwark against the rise of Islamist militancy in the strategic region next to the world's busiest shipping lanes, is Washington's main ally.

 

"An unstable Horn of Africa could have a destabilising effect on the world," a Western diplomat in the region told Reuters. "The U.S., Britain, China - and increasingly Turkey -are all trying to get a foothold here for both security reasons and economic reasons. Ethiopia makes the best ally right now."

 

But despite the leadership changes, and the temporary alliances in a region that is no stranger to pragmatic politics, that old animosity is playing out again.

 

ETHIOPIA. WHO ELSE?

 

At the centre of the latest episode between the two nations is the Islamist rebel group, al Shabaab, which has declared holy war on the still mostly-Christian Ethiopia, and threatened to launch suicide attacks in its capital, Addis Ababa.

 

Neighbouring Kenya sent troops across the border in October, unsettled by a spate of security attacks it blamed on the militants, with the aim of dismantling the rebels' networks.

 

Ethiopia watched closely, analysts say, unsure of whether the Kenyan intervention would work. Finally, a month ago, with the Kenyans stalled, its troops moved into Somalia to arm and train the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca (ASWJ).

 

Such is the delicacy, that Ethiopia has not admitted publicly to its latest incursion despite scores of testimony from local witnesses, elders and reporters.

 

"The knowledge of history as well as the unwillingness to hand al Shabaab the propaganda coup, just when the terrorist group is weakened, probably has a great deal to do with Ethiopia's reluctance to do more than build up the capacity of local Somali allies like ASWJ and to try to politically unite them in a common effort," J. Peter Pham, Africa director with the Atlantic Council, told Reuters.

 

Until now, Ethiopia had seemed reluctant to get involved in Somalia again after a 2006-2009 incursion to overthrow another Islamist group that had taken over Mogadishu sparked such ire among some Somalis that al Shabaab rose from its ashes.

 

This time, the Ethiopians say, their hand was forced.

 

"Somebody needed to go in and help. Somalia is the world's biggest security problem and that threatens everybody," an Ethiopian official told Reuters.

 

"We're aware that, for some Somalis, we are not the best choice and that is why we are being careful. But, yet again, who else?" (Editing by David Clarke and Maria Golovnina)

 

Source

[Che -Guevara]

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Imam Ahmed Ibrahim Al ghazi may allah bless you're soul he made sure those shoulder dancing skinny Ethios were put in their place.The 1977 war was a disaster if the Former Somali regime only supported the wslf a better result could've been achieved.The Somali army should have invaded Kenya instead of Ethiopia at that time.

[Cambuulo iyo bun]

500 yrs ago helped by portugues, 34 years ago helped by sovjet/Cuba and now being helped by USA and the rest of the west,, anagana waa isku maqanahi ayaan daro badanaa

[Jacpher]

Xaaji Xunjuf;768309 wrote:

Imam Ahmed Ibrahim Al ghazi may allah bless you're soul he made sure those shoulder dancing skinny Ethios were put in their place.The 1977 war was a disaster if the Former Somali regime only supported the wslf a better result could've been achieved.The Somali army should have invaded Kenya instead of Ethiopia at that time.

^LOL. They say silence is golden.

 

When will Somalis realize neither Ethiopia nor Kenya is gonna build them a peaceful country. Somalia Ilaah baa u maqan.

[Som@li]

New Ahmed is badly needed.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Cambuulow the Adal empire at that time was supported by the Ottoman empire Sultan Sulayman the magnificent was the leader of the Islamic caliphate.The First Jihad was a true Islamic Cause there were many muslims involved in the horn of Africa who supported the Imam like the Afars and Adaris and Gurages but Majority were Somalis. The 1977 war with the Ethiopians Somalis were once against testing their strength and oo yeah they were strong only this time not driven by Islam but by Nationalistic objectives, who of you remembers the songs they were playing in the wars as a young Boy at that time i still remember the teacher at our village used to play it every break we had.But Somalis at that time didn't had many friends only the Egyptians and King Khalid of Saudi Arabia the rest of the Arab World turned against us or were neutral and the Sovjets and Cubans came in.The turks are still noble people and help the somalis where they can but today in 2011 Somalis are divided xaaladuna ma wanaagsan walalayaal.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Som@li;768314 wrote:

New Ahmed is badly needed.

Where do you find such a remarkable man but keep in mind Somalis in the 1500s were not like the Somalis of 2011 so it was much easier for the imam to lead the Noble Somali Muslims at that time.

[burahadeer]

I can be the new Imam if only Abtigiis is tried & held in solitary confinment.

[Som@li]

Xaaji Xunjuf;768317 wrote:

Where do you find such a remarkable man but keep in mind Somalis in the 1500s were not like the Somalis of 2011 so it was much easier for the imam to lead the Noble Somali Muslims at that time.

very true, and even Somalis before 50-60 years ago were much better, less corrupted, less clannish.

 

The Sooner we realise that we been digging our grave for over 30 years, we will not get out, seccession and running away from the problem is not the answer either. How come we reached this low, that Somali leaders became the stooges of Meles and dirty Habashis? Awake Somalia, Somalia Toos

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

If you look back in the history of the Somalis after the wars of Imam Ahmed Ibrahim Al ghazi Somalis became pastoralistic nomadic warlords this continued for a longer period lots of destruction and mayhem was caused. Excluding the little Sultanate in the south the Gobroon dynasty in the 17 century.Clan wars and particularly hunting down other ethnic groups were the new hobbies of the Somalis till the white man arrived in the Somali territories in the late 19 century. So some where down the line Somalis lost trusting each other and that's where it went wrong and till the day of today they still do not trust each other. And that's how things are in 2011 using foreign troops to fight against other clans you mistrust.

[Abdul]

We havent seen or heard Ethiopia fight a war without getting outside help.In almost every war,foreign armies and power come to their rescue.

[Che -Guevara]

Abdul;768364 wrote:

We havent seen or heard Ethiopia fight a war without getting outside help.In almost every war,foreign armies and power come to their rescue.

So true, even those that supported us undercut us case in point Jimmy Carter administration.

 

Well, Zack has some news on Wayones and ONLF.

[The Zack]

^LOL. I do?

 

 

The single one thing that the USSR and USA have agreed on during the cold war was to side against Somalis during the Og'aden war. Ilaahay amarkiii...

[Che -Guevara]

^I was told.