12 December 2008 (BBC) More than 80% of Somalia’s soldiers and police - about 15,000 members - have deserted, some taking weapons, uniforms and vehicles, the UN says.
The head of the UN monitoring group on Somalia, Dumisani Kumalo, said Islamist insurgents got many of their weapons and ammunition from the deserters.
The head of the Somali police rejected the UN’s report.
Meanwhile, the African Union wants peacekeepers from Burundi and Uganda to stay when Ethiopian troops leave soon.
In the UN report, Mr Kumalo, the South African ambassador, also said most of the Somali government’s security budget - supposedly 70% of its total budget - disappeared through corruption.
The Somali police chief, Abdi Awale, said all the money had been properly spent, and only a few soldiers and police officers had deserted.
Peacekeeper pledge
With Somalia’s fragile transitional government facing a growing insurgency, the African Union’s top diplomat said he hoped the 3,400 peacekeepers currently stationed in Mogadishu would stay - despite claims by the Ethiopian prime minister that they would leave.
“We have asked the African countries to increase their participation in Somalia, asked the UNSC (UN Security Council) to join us there, and to the AU partners to help us financing this force,” Jean Ping said.
“A withdrawal from Somalia is something we cannot accept, not only the AU, but also the rest of the world,” he said, according to AFP news agency.
Mr Ping’s comments come in response to a statement in the Ethiopian parliament by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi that African Union peacekeepers wanted to leave Somalia.
The AU force, from Uganda and Burundi, had been expected to stay and even beef up its presence to make up for the planned Ethiopian pull-out at the end of the month.
Ethiopia has said Burundi and Uganda have asked its army to help their peacekeepers pull-out, but Burundi and Uganda have denied this.
The United Nations Security Council is due to consider a US proposal to send a full UN peacekeeping force to Somalia - something the AU has been pressing for.
Ethiopia troops intervened two years ago to oust Islamist forces from the capital, Mogadishu.
But different Islamist factions are again in control of much of southern Somalia.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
why TPLF kept deceiving the world? TPLF main guy ,the TFG president is kicked out by the other groups(the prime minister, clans from Djibouti and Asmara) and so TPLF has no business in Somalia except to leave! The Tplf doest know that the Burundi and Uganda got guarantee from alshabab if Ethiopia departed,, that is why the Uganda officials oppose the fabricated stories of Meles and feel comfortable to send more troops when the cancer tPLF departed.
cheers
go G7
December 12th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
The best way is to start supporting Ginbot 7 to ultimatly distroy the weyane mafia groups from ethiopia.
hold on, forget the dirty cirpple paths of the idiot hailu shawel and eprp poor propaganda that always attacks genuine oppostions than weyane.
Just make sure you respond to the questions that is sent out by Ginbot 7, a question of supporting the struggle with only a few bucks in a total of $500 dollars from everyone if we all want to see the end of the weayane criminal groups from ethiopia.
Support Ginbot 7
December 12th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hold your thought look what Ugandan official say
Nairobi/Kampala - A Ugandan government official on Friday confirmed that the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia will pull out should Ethiopia stick to its promise of withdrawing its troops before the end of the year. “If the Ethiopians pull out … the AU force will pull out because it will not have adequate numbers,” James Mugume, permanent secretary at the Ugandan Foreign Ministry, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The Ethiopian government in late November said it would extract its several thousand soldiers unconditionally by the end of the year.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Thursday broke the news that the AU force would also leave and promised to help the Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers, numbering around 3,000, to pull out.
Ethiopian forces invaded in 2006 to help kick out the Islamic Courts’ Union (ICU) - a hardline Islamist regime that was in power for six months.
A bloody insurgency in Southern and Central Somalia then kicked off in early 2007.
Aid agencies say around 10,000 civilians have died and over 1 million have fled as al-Shabaab, a militant splinter group of the ICU, has made huge gains.
The insurgent group is now perched on the edge of Mogadishu and is on the verge of over-running the squabbling and ineffective Transitional Federal Government.
Should both Ethiopia and the AU leave, the only force standing between the insurgents and victory would be a collection of pro- government armed militia and poorly trained recruits.
A report by the UN monitoring group on Somalia, released Thursday, said that 80 per cent of Somalia’s soldiers and police - some 15,000 - had deserted or defected, often taking their weapons and vehicles with them.
The AU’s top diplomat, Jean Ping, said Friday that he hoped the Ugandan and Burundian forces could be persuaded to stay.
Mugume, however, said that the AU force would only remain in Somalia if long-standing calls for a UN peacekeeping force to be deployed were answered.
“If the Ethiopians are replaced by other troops like UN peacekeepers, a number of about 8,000, we will stay,” he said.
However, the UN has appeared reluctant to deploy and analysts say this is unlikely to change.
“I don’t think there is a realistic prospect for substitute troops,” Roger Middleton, Horn of Africa analyst at London-based think tank Chatham House, told dpa.
The AU force was supposed to have been much larger, but many nations have failed to meet their commitments. As a result, the AU force is undermanned and overwhelmed.
Ping said that he had asked other African countries to contribute troops to bring the AU force up to the full complement of 8,000 originally envisaged.
Middleton said that the AU peacekeepers would have little choice but to leave should the Ethiopians stick to their promise to go.
“If the Ugandans stayed … they would become greater targets,” he said. “Even if they stayed, I don’t think they would have a stabilizing impact. Their force is tiny and can’t even secure (Mogadishu) airport.”
Hardline Islamists have refused to talk peace unless the Ethiopians first left Somalia, but it is not clear if they will now come to the table or continue to advance.
Al-Shabaab has already rejected a peace deal agreed between moderate opposition figures and the government.
There are fears that in the absence of the common enemy, the Ethiopians, the insurgent groups will splinter and begin fighting, creating more chaos.
However, Middleton said that the worst-case scenario would be that al-Shabaab remained united and decided to finish off the government.
“The scariest scenario is that al-Shabaab holds together … and we see an al-Shabaab regime with the attended radicalization of the population.”
The US says that al-Shabaab has links to al-Qaeda. In May it launched an airstrike that killed al-Shabaab leader Aden Hashi Ayro.
Al-Shabaab has also been implementing strict sharia, or Islamic law, in the towns it has seized from the government.
So far this year, a teenage girl has been stoned to death for adultery after being raped and people have been whipped for dancing and playing music.
The developments are also unlikely to be good news for plans to fight a surge in piracy off Somalia, which peaked with the recent seizure of a Saudi supertanker carrying crude oil worth 100 million dollars.
Delegates at a international conference on Thursday said that piracy was inextricably linked to the insecurity in Somalia and called for stronger efforts to help build a stable government.
The Horn of Africa nation has been plagued by chaos and civil war since the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991
December 12th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
ወያኔ አለቀለት ማለት ነው? :roll: :lol:
December 12th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Have you heard the NEWS what the Iranians did install in Assab. A Ballistic Missle that could destroy Addis Ababa. TPLF SOLD ASSAB for the Hamasein and the Hamasein sold it to the Iranians in exchange of oil.
Look the influx of the Arabs in Ethiopia. The arabs in Somalia, in Assab now what.
TPLF IS ALONE AND WILL DIE ALONE.
AGAZI IS DEAD WITH NO BURIAL PLACE.
MELES HAS BOUGHT A MANSON AT THE POTOMAC SITE IN WASHINGTON DC
December 12th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
the great AGAZI knows very well when to get back from somalia.
it’s not the alshebab who will decide about the Un force.
even if we leive somalia we are dead sure we will be around the border.
our great AGAZI are well comed to their country only if our pm.melles geive them the green light. if not we don’t care about looser poletitians.. they are simply trying to get political support from the alshabab terrorist group. GOD BLESS AGAZI AND ITS LEADERS.
December 12th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
many of th soliders were trained in Ethiopia by Woanye now those sodiders are faighting back.GOOD job somalis.
December 12th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Comando your down fall is very near before you realize it denkoro woyanne
December 12th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
WAKYO_ have you ever seen donkoro comando in your life time? if yes they should be your cind of ppl. but a woyane komando is not donkoro.
any way you will see who will fall dowen. the rest try to control your abger. or come and try to fight the comandos?;
December 12th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Good news for ethiopian lovers bad news for anti Ethiopians or thugs or F.. Wonebedes GEDELE GIBU! i hate you all your time is up we know you all and we are with G7.LEBOCHE OR THUGS!
December 12th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
G7 ALL THE TIME
December 12th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I HATE YOU AS LONG AS I LIVE YOUR WONEBEDE ASS IS FINISHISHED WITH YOUR ATALAYE THUG LEADERE SETANAWI ZENAWI MEKELE WILL BE DESTROYED PROPLELY WAIT AND SEE
December 12th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
……ቂቂቂቂቂ የወያኔ ጦር ታዲያ የሙጥኝ ማለቱ ምነው? አይዞህ ባዩ ቡሽም ረሳቸው…ሶማሊያውያኑም በበቃኝ ከተሰናበቱ…ወያኔበሰው አገር አይኑን በጨው ለምን ያሸዋል? ቀጣዩ ደግሞ እኛ ነን::ወያኔ ልብህ እስከዚህ ድረስ ነች …መሪ የሌለው ሽፍታ ካሯሯጠህ ….ሁለንተናህ ባዶ ነው ማለት ነው::የወያኔ ጦር ጥራትም ብዙም ችሎታ የለውም::ብዙ ወታደር አስማርቶ ባማስጨፍጨፍ ድልን ለመጎናጸፍ ይሞክራል::ቂቂቂ ለሰው አገልጋይ መሆንና ባንዳ ሆኖ ማገልገል እንደዚህ ያዋርዳል..የት አለ የደደቢቱ ጀግንነት…የታለ አቦይ ጸሃዬ…ስብሃት ነጋ …ተጋደልቲ..ነይ መክዋንንቲ…የታል…ሳታሸንፍ ትወጣና ወየውልህ….የ ኤርትራውንም ውጊያ ሉዝ አርጋሃል..እንደገና በምርጫ ..አሁን እንደገና በሱማሌ…
December 13th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
The twinkling star that hovered over the heads of the tplfwoyane invading forces in Somalia is now heading to the north carrying bad news to broadcast to the more than 100,000 sodiers who had been forcefully snatched from the carying-hands of their respective mothers and stationed on the ground across the riverbank opposite to the equally numbered Shabya soldiers who had been idle just consuming tons of hard-gotten food and purging waste in great deal on the ground leaving the soil unusable.
The star will say to the unfortunate soldiers this:- more than 82% of somali citizens who where recruited by Meles Naziawi had deserted to where they should and must belong;you are families,individuals,and unfortunate recruits facing danger and death, isn’t your life worth saving?
Where is your thought and action? You are not stationed at enemy’s weakest spot, don’t you know the secret of success?
Equally imprtant and alarming news is that Itally damped tons of hazardous wastes in Eritrea in exchange for a few million dollar that Isaias Afewrk received and the installation of ballastic short and medium range missiles in Asab by Iran in exchange for 30 mig-29 advanced jet fighters that Isaias Afework received. What should Meles Naziawi know is or deal with the fact is that Italy and Iran made a deal and made history. Period.
Now, Isaias Afework is with Italy;who Meles Naziawi is with?
Aside Isaias Afework’s conflict of the bloods with Legesse Zinawi for a moment, for sure, Isaias Afework is playing with fire. For sure, to Ethiopians,Italy’s hazardous waste and Iran’s ballastic missiles don’t heal Isaias Afeork’s wounds caused by his blood, Legesse Zinawi’s neglect and abuse for the last 17 years since the invasion. Isaias Afework, being dwarfed by Legesse Naziawi’s ill-gotten wealth for the last 19 years, Isaias Afework went through contless sleepless nights with a lot of headadche and heartach.
A deal like this is made when Isaias Afework is pressed for money. Yes, the deal is made and the battle is awaited. Clearly, those 30 Mig-29 jet fighters will be used to expand the area of battlefield to about a 1000 Km into Ethiopia. And those Mig fighters can make as many soritites as possible because there won’t be a shortage of jet-fuel to keep flying the QueenBees. The question is, the pilots are on a crash-corse, and again, how well the pilots handle these QeenBees?
Last but not least, the Agazi soldiers who have been told,”Your success is my success and my success is yours.” by Meles Naziawi, will they fight or fleet when the QueenBees hover over their heads?
December 13th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
The Neftegna and Agazzi Neonazis are out in force to exploit the manufactured Iranian - Eritrean connection. These low life cheerleaders had been sleeping on the wheel. They should have known better for the Agazzi propaganda ministry is in the habit of manufacturing news to dis inform and misinform the public. A weekly dose of fabricated issued are in the offering and the gullible diaspora buying it. The new Iran entry is a perfect example.
An independent, assertive and self reliant nation is created and is on the march to the dismay of the anti-Eritrea alliance. It is becoming the citadel on the shores of the Rea and it would rekindle the hopes and dreams of all subjugated nations, like the Somalis, Oromos, Sidamas to name a few.
The Eritrean leadership is unlike any other, for it is the product of 30 years of armed and political struggle and drawn from the rank and file the Eritrean masses. Playing in the international arena requires wisdom, experience, guts and nerves of steel and the Eritrean leadership have plenty of it. There is no comparison with the Agazzi Agames, whose life of servitude left them with a deranged mind full of paranoia and a feeling of inferiority complex.
December 14th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
WE are ok with our inferiority comlex man. what about you and your country Eritrea? maferia you cant even get brade in your old city of asmara. and yet you wonne be super country than Ethiopia kkkkkkkk.
Tinbatam shabia.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Hillal wedi Shabia,
From your desperate attempt to paint a rosy picture of Singapore (Eritrea), I can certianly say that you are one of the die-hard elements of Shabia. Eritrea is now known to be one of the hells on earth and thousands are risking their lives to leave it for good. The would be singapore has become the earthly hell and a leading source of refugees. Your Shabia masters have nothing to show as achievement other than the miserable condition and striking poverty in the entity they control and misrule. Your singapore is a palce where the big part of its people go to bed and young to school with out a meal perday.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
So far, 18,241 Eritreanrefugees have crossed into Ethiopia mainly because they coud not bear the suffering they endured since they were told a complete independence had been achieved and they are free to be what they had been told to be through false prmises and acid-propaganda that was pumped into their heart and mind.
From among the refugees, a good number of them have been recruited into Meles Naziawi’s security squad and some of the others were given training on how to be spying on the general population of Ethiopians, and others were embeded into the general population doing dirty activities as the generation before them did for the last 55 years.
Today, in Ethiopia, these refugees are enjoying life to the fullest. Before and shortly after independence, Isaias Afework promesed them they would be provided with exotic fruits, whole grains, assortments of green,red, and yellow vegetables, honey and milk, rice and meat. Without any doubt to their mind and heart, they waited for too long only to have had nothing but unending suffering;hence, the exodus started.
Isaias Afework, compare to what he has been years ago, hopeless and desperate, at this momement, he is happy and firm and binding. His sour blood, Legesse Zinawi and his tplfwoyane soldiers are nearly fleeting and packing their shame and defeat and leave Somalia until one thing broke loose. The moment Legesse Zinawi heard Italy and Iran dumped tons toxic and hazardous wastes for few millions dollar and additionally, Iran jet-fighters to Isaias Afework’s army, in panic and rush, Legesse Zinawi poured out thousands of woyanaetplf soldiers into Somalia.
Whether both sides of supporters and followers like or not, love it or hate it, accept it or reject it, the battle between the bitterbloods is inevitable.
The famous adage says, promise is debt.
Isaias Afework also has had a broken heart due to the betryal of his own blood that Legesse Zinawi. For years, Isaias Afework has gone through neglect, insult and abuse by his a one time bloodpartner that Legesse Zinawi and has had countlless sleepless nights causing him a nagging headach.
Even after the battle of Badme the wound has never had healed but rather, the broken heart, his heart got stoned and his head got stiffed with the loss his army of all sorts endured. This time it seems he has come back to life and is ready to finish the unfinished job with his bitter blood that Legesse Zinawi. This, the upcoming battle of the bloods will determine who is going to fight or fleet.
When the two sour-bloods were at the highest stage of their bitterness throwing bad words at each other back and forth, up and down, and sideway, Legesse Zinawi threatened his own blood, Isaias Afework that he would definitely go after the shabya leadership, if there is the second round of battle, which he strongly believe would happen, Isaias Afework reciprocated by saying this “I Have 4 million citizens-soldiers who are ready for all eventualities.”
This exchange of anger lead them to what they are today. Obviously, Meles Naziawi is in bad mood and is in profound panic that he is alone along with his agazi army, that Isaias Afework is now a multimillionair in exchange that Italy damped tons of hazardous and toxic wastes in Isaias Afework’s land, and that Iran not only damped tons of wastes and Installed medium and long range missiles in Asab and else where and donated 30 advanced Mig-29 fighter jets to isaias Afework’s army. The irony is that, some sort of rumours are coming out of the mouths of the rats that Meles Zinawi will make a pationate speech to invite Ethiopians for a motherland call.
Well, Meles Nziawi, a manupulator, a coward, a puppet master should never and ever think that he uses Ethiopians as cat’s paw and scapegoat. He has to deal with his own fate. Period.