Recently Ethiopia, for reasons not entirely made clear in the media, decided to attack Somalia. It succesfully took several key towns before marching triumphantly into the capital Mogadishu, allowing the UN-recognised government-in-exile to enter the capital for the first time in years. The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) which had established itself as a stabilising force in the country, and had turned the seemingly perpetual chaos that existed into an admittedly oppressive peace (but peace and stability nonetheless), fled into the mountains never having seriously engaged the Ethiopian forces. The UIC are now staging their insurgency with hit and run attacks on Ethiopian troops and the Ethiopians are complaining that they haven't got the funds to commit to keeping the peace or stabilising the country.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/africa … 56010.html
I have a few questions:
Why did Ethiopia really attack Somalia, especially given how impoverished they are (as they are now harping on about)?
What did they have to gain or hope to gain?
Are they carrying out this attack on behalf of the US (who have failed there before, have a populace currently hostile to further military action and don't really have the resources to do anything themselves outside of Iraq and Afghanistan at the moment)?
If so what did the US promise to give them?
How long will it be before Somalia descends into chaos again?
It kind of reminds of the movie 'Lord of War'. To me it seems as though Ethiopia have been put up to this task by a mysterious external party....
Isn't it about time the west stopped mucking about in other nations affairs?
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/africa … 56010.html
I have a few questions:
Why did Ethiopia really attack Somalia, especially given how impoverished they are (as they are now harping on about)?
What did they have to gain or hope to gain?
Are they carrying out this attack on behalf of the US (who have failed there before, have a populace currently hostile to further military action and don't really have the resources to do anything themselves outside of Iraq and Afghanistan at the moment)?
If so what did the US promise to give them?
How long will it be before Somalia descends into chaos again?
It kind of reminds of the movie 'Lord of War'. To me it seems as though Ethiopia have been put up to this task by a mysterious external party....
Isn't it about time the west stopped mucking about in other nations affairs?
Last edited by CameronPoe (2007-01-03 06:41:28)