War: Horn of Africa: Somalia govt backed by invading Ethiopian troops drives Sharia Islamists from Mogadishu
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For those of us who have been following the emergence of the Islamic Courts to bring Sharia Law to Somalia, their displacement of the warlords, then their takeover of the civic order so as to displace the tenuous hold of the shakey democraqcy of the transitional government of the counrty, the blast of war, another layer added onto the preceding miseries, has been seen with the arrival of Ethopia to the defense of the Somalia transitional govt.
Ethiopia has internal reasons for thinking it had to help the non-warloard, non-Sharia forces of Somalia's would-be democratic govt. The most salient reason for Ethiopia's intevention is the fact that historically-Christian Ethiopia, after a vicious takeover by totalitarian Communists who were ousted in bloddy turmoil, now is demographic realities of a 50-50 split between the more-or-less Christian half of its populatoin and the rising number of Muslims. Were Sharia forces in alliance with Taliban-like radcial Wahabbists to seize Somaliland, then their ethnic cousins and fellow Muslims in Ethiopia itself mite try to secede in those regions of Ethiopia where Somalis predominate.
Africa > Somalia & Ethiopia
Reuters reporter Guled Mohamed tells us "Ethiopia-backed troops march into Mogadishu," the Somali capital (Dec28,2k6). The text of his article tells us further that the troops, in the first instance, are those of the legally constituted and internationally recognixed Somali Transitional Government, which at least technically the Ethiopians are only "supporting."
Nearby Eritrea is said to support the Somalia Islamic Courts Council. But the deeper background seems to be Al Quaeda, as indicated by the public support given the SICC govt by Al Quaeda in Iraq.
--Politicarp
More Info:
Islamist fighters abandon posts as troops move in
Ethiopia Pledges Troop Withdrawal From Somalia Within Weeks
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