Nearly 400 civilians die in Somalia battles - Senator calls Ethiopian action in Somalia commendable

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http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Nearly_400_civilians_die_in_Somalia_battles.html?siteSect=143&sid=7682756&cKey=1175606678000

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The United States, Europe and African countries pushed for peace in Somalia on Tuesday after heavy fighting in Mogadishu that killed nearly 400 civilians and wounded up to 700.

Diplomats from an International Contact Group on Somalia met in Cairo to discuss how to stop the fighting and staunch a torrent of refugees.

More bodies were expected to be unearthed in crumpled buildings after four days of battles that ended on Sunday and which aid agencies say were the bloodiest for 15 years.

Scores of fighters also died in the offensive by the Somali government and its Ethiopian ally against insurgents. The battles in residential areas included ferocious artillery fire.


http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/april/03/international/us_senator_says_washington_supports_ethiopia_on_action_in_somalia.html


ADDIS ABABA, April 3 (NNN-ENA) -- The United States government supports the measures Ethiopia has taken to avert the danger that had been posed by extremists in Somalia, says Senator James M. Inhofe.

After talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi here Monday, Inhofe (Rep.-Okla) told journalists that Ethiopia's measure of defence against the danger posed by the extremist force in Somalia was commendable.

Ethiopia's measure made possible the deployment of the Ugandan peacekeeping mission, in the framework of AMISOM, where there are expectations that Nigeria and Ghana will follow suit, Senator Inhofe said. AMISOM is the African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia.

He stressed the need for African nations and governments to provide the necessary support towards the realization of peace in Somalia and the diffusion of problems in the horn of Africa country.

He said his discussions with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi included Ethiopian-US co-operation, which he described as "very good" and he called for enhancement of such co-operation in various fields.

[orwell]

1. That's Interesting...

...A guest on Democracy Now this morning was condemning the US support of Ethiopia, essentially accusing the US of being the major cause of the recent problems. It seems the US was appalled that an Islamic Courts Union, backed primarily by Somali businessmen, had recently brought some semblance of order to the country. While there were some radical Islamicists in the ICU, they were a distinct minority. But the post 9/11 Islamophobic RW Bushies, unable to stand by and allow any Islamic influence anywhere, even for the good, under the brand marketed rubric of "the War on Terror, immediately stepped up covert and overt military support to the more "Christian" Ethiopian government.

http://www.countercurrents.org/marsden110107.htm

This seems like another US foreign policy overreach, this time in the Horn of Africa instead of the Middle East. The hidden agenda is the same old neocolonial grab for resources in this region of Africa.

For years the US has attempted to remake the rest of the world in its own image, politically, financially, and most recently under the fundamentalist Bushies, religiously. However, this policy is entering a dangerous endgame that may no longer be tolerated by a rapidly changing global political and social reorganization.

This, as all attempts at the suppression of free will can only end badly in the long term. In the short term, many more will die for our imperial hubris.