Source: VOA
Jun 8, 2007
Reports in Somalia say that a coalition of groups opposed to Somalia’s struggling transitional government and its Ethiopian [Woyanne] backers has been formed with the support of the Eritrean government. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
VOA has learned that a yet-to-be-named, anti-Somali government, anti-[Woyanne] coalition was formed in late May at a conference, hosted by the Eritrean government in the capital, Asmara.
According to reports on Somali Internet websites, the conference, dubbed as a “unity meeting” by Eritrean President Isias Afewerki, brought together leaders and representatives of at least four groups — Somalia’s Islamic Courts Union, rebels from Ethiopia’s Ogaden National Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Front, and exiled former parliament members of the Somali transitional government.
The reports say the moderate leader of the Islamic Courts Union’s executive council, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, represented the courts at the meeting and the Ogaden National Liberation Front sent its chief military commander, Mohamed Omar Osman. The transitional government’s former deputy prime minister turned critic, Hussein Aideed, is said to have also attended.
The details of the conference are not known and neither the Somali nor the Ethiopian [Woyanne] government has commented yet about reports of the meeting.
VOA sources in Mogadishu have confirmed reports that Sheik Ahmed has been named head of the coalition’s political wing and Osman of the Ogaden National Liberation Front will lead its military wing. The presumed objective of the coalition is to bring its common enemy, Ethiopia’s regime [Woyanne], to its knees politically and economically and to hasten Ethiopian troop withdrawal from Somalia.
Thousands of Ethiopian [Woyanne] soldiers have been in Somalia for at least eight months, protecting Somalia’s secular interim government. With military aid from Ethiopia’s regime and U.S. support, the government drove out the Islamic Courts Union and took power in Mogadishu in early January.
But a violent insurgency, blamed mostly on radical Islamists and disgruntled Hawiye clan members, has kept the government from asserting full control over the capital.
Fighting between Ethiopian [Woyanne] troops and insurgents in March and April killed nearly 1,500 people and caused hundreds of thousands to flee Mogadishu.
Since then, a series of Iraq-style attacks, targeting mostly Ethiopian [Woyanne] troops and government officials, has prompted a severe, capital-wide security crackdown.
Ethiopian [Woyanne] troops are now manning checkpoints at nearly every major intersection and cars are not allowed to move in the city after 6 p.m. in the evening.
Ethiopian [Woyanne] and Somali security forces are conducting random house-to-house searches for weapons and are making what many citizens say are arbitrary arrests.
The government has also been widely criticized for closing down three independent radio stations, after authorities accused the stations of fomenting unrest, supporting terrorism, and being anti-government.
A leading civil activist in Mogadishu, Alisaid Omar, says heavy-handed actions by the government and Ethiopian [Woyanne] troops are not helping the capital stabilize.
“Shutting down these radios is like shutting down civil society as a whole, because we have no place to express our views, whether negative or positive,” he said. “I see this as a very bad signal and I think it will damage the reputation of the transitional federal government.”
20 thoughts on “Coalition of Ethiopian and Somali groups formed against Ethiopia’s dictatorship and its puppets in Somalia”
Dear Elias,
Please cool down. I know you are opposing the government of Ethiopia. That is your right. But you have to select the right strategy to achieve your objective. You do not have to support every opposition and their strategy because you hate the government. Please be selective. Be realistic and scientific. You cannot win a marathon because you run. So by being an opposition deos’nt mean that you win. The group you mentioned are not a good choice. I wish if they have different strategy than they have now. Do not fly here and there. Stick on one place and group. I suggest Kinijit for you as a party.
Thanks.
Wow, yesterday
Leave Elias alone. He is not only the voice of the voiceless but also you.
It is now official, that OLF became the permanent member of algida international.
It is known that the majority of OLF members are Muslim extremists and the Gallas that are living mainly in Damot (wollega). The reason why I call them Gallas is that because of it is their first International recognition name since they discovered in 1919 by world anthropologists and wollega is the last territory occupied by the gallas after they started their immigration journey to Ethiopia since the 16-century through balie.
If you visit south east Gojjam today, they will tell you how their forefathers massacred and chassed away from their home land with hundreds thousands by the Nomadic Gallas started about 175 years ago and continued until 1930s.
The true invaders( Gallas) acts the same way as many invaders did which is changing their Name from Galla to Oromo and changing places names. That is why they changed the place(Tekli Gizat) called Damot to wellega. The Damot gallas are really barbaric gallas because of they are the last Immigrants and they are not adopted the Ethiopian
ELIAS,
Well, I saw your article while I browse my computer for other purpose and really surprising by your irrational and rubbish article and conclusions after I read it. It is really shameful to see such a childish conclusion from a person who considers him self as educated, journalist and political analyst. Let me quote few words from your arrogance and worthless article.
“EPLF has a soft heart for Ethiopia, as it demanded only limited autonomy from the central government
Any group or paty which dismatles the very base of the #1 enemy of Ethiopia, WOYANE, is welcom. There is no bigger enemy than Woyane. woyane is the fundamental cancer which must be uprooted sooner than later.
The struggle to dislodge our enemy, the woyanne should employ all the possible tactics and encompass all the opposition groups. Ato Elias Kifle has advocated and stood for unity of purpose among the opposition and I hope that his efforts will bear fruit and lead to the desired goal of achieving this. The Woyannes will want to eat everything and we must stop them both in Ethiopia and Somalia.
I am really surprised with the first two comments regarding Elias.I learned he provided us information what is happening in Somalia based on the news he got from VOA.The source is clearly given to us.To listen or read and value the news up to us.But we cannot say anything about the person who provided the information.If the information is wrong he is not the one blamed for it but the primary source of the news.Otherwise we will be biased and we will be like Ethiopian government.Our government always tells us a lot of fiction about our economy,democratic rights etc but what is happening is quite opposite.I do not want to be like that.
The truth is that Ethiopia never ever had an Enemy like TPLF does as we all know some of the truths about them from Sebhat Nega. He has said TPLF is anti Ethiopia all along despite they are in the palace and in control everything the country has.
I
Iwish I haven’t read this article. The only thing I learned from your article is that you do not know what you want in Ethiopian Politics. A lot of people including myself hate the Woyanne regim. Most these people have different approach about removing the regim. If you have to be a mouthpiece for Shabea, OLF and ONLF to remove woyanne from power, what a purpose you are serving other than the wishes of all those anti-Ethiopian pirates. When and where did you neither see shabea’s soft heart (love) for Ethiopia, nor hear OLF’s and ONLF’s preach for Ethiopian betterments. Please, my brother, come to you senses and re-evaluate you strategy to battle the woyanne regime. Please do not make the same mistake the Tigrain youth made in helping ousting the Derg based on the miscalculation that their gun barrel nominated woyanne would be a better democratic champion than the former. Please use your energy, time and resource wisely in educating the Ethiopian people better non self distractive ways of battling the repressive woyanne regime than spreading the seeds of its hate itenic plant.
GTRM,
Ethiopian Review is not independent. It is blindly following any opposition group that stands against woyane. That is not very wise. Did you read what Elias proposed on the article entitled
Tesfamariam,The oromas are the largest ethnic group in East Africa.To insult their ethnicity is very ignorant and fruiless.What you said says more about you than Muslim Oromos.
Mr Yisak,
Was not Woyane doing the same thing while it was in the forest. Woyane co-operated with any available external force in order to remove Derg, and it succeeded. So, why not Ethiopian Review ?
By the way, even now, while it is in POWER, the Woyanes are co-operating with any available external force in order to continue to subjaget the Ethiopian people.
– It is using US assistance, Financial, Political and Propaganda to continue to subjagate the Democratic aspirations of Ethiopians.
– It is receiving Satellite Information about Armed Opposition Forces location from the US and UK.
-It is using the assistance of the puppet government of Somalia to track Armed Ethiopian Opposition Forces.
– It is using the assistance of the Sudanese government to stifle the Supplies and movement of Armed Ethiopian Opposition Forces
– It is using the assistance of the Kenyan Government to trackdown Armed Ethiopian Opposition Forces.
– It is using Yemenis assistance to follow up and arrest Opposition Forces members and deserting Ethiopian government soldiers
– Recently, it has even started appealing (begging) the Eritreans to assist them in squashing the ever increasing power the Ethiopian Democratic forces.
Leweyanewos Mengedun Cherk yergilachew
Then, Mr. Yisak, what do you say, eh ?
Leave the indomitable Elias alone.
Peace for all
Dan,
Aren
All democrats in Ethiopia should unite and focus thier struggle against the common enomy of the Ethiopian people-the ethnocentric Woyane.let us not try to find differences among ourselves and comfort the enemy. Woyane is the enemy of our country, our people our history. Why then quarrel making a difference between who joined the parliament and those who did not? Why target Beyene Petros, Merera Gudina, Lidetu and other parlimentarian. None of these people have heard prazing Woyane. Let us not forget that some of these people had made an enermous contributions in mobilizing our people. If we keep on critisising them the way we do it today, no doubt its will be less advantageous for Ethiopian people
Dear friends it seems not only our right but also our duty to work against Woyane an organisation which is created by Ethiopian enemies and that also undertakes all measures that are hostile to the Country Ethiopia and its citizens. While working against Woyane, I`m afraid that we make some mistakes. My woriness is that though we all claim that we want a democratic Ethiopia, be it intentional or not, we fell to do so if we keep on forgeting thousands of Ethiopians who are suffering in Woyanes prisons since May 1991. More over the fact that the opposition is blinded only by its support to only CODU, though other organisations and their leaders, interalia, Merera Gudina, Beyene Petros, Lidetu and others have played a constructive role in mobilising the people against Woyane conispiracy, worries us a lot. Please let us focus our struggle against Enemy number one-Woyane, and try not to be in contradiction with the people who are not opposed to us or Ethiopia-only chose different methods to fight Woyane.
United aginst Woyane we can stand and help Ethiopia survive!!
The decesion of the Court shows how ruthless the Woyane regime is. Unfortunetly, Woyane has chosen to rule the country and its people by force. It seems as if woyane is more convienced today that any peacefull resolution of the crises that it is in, would dismantle its coercieve regime. Thus, the true children of Ethiopia are left today like in the past, with no other choice, but to intensify the struggle against the Ethnocentric Woyane dictators.
All Woyane victims have a serious case to unite them rather than divide!!!
Dear Yishak,
I thank you for your comments.I agree with you in some points.I strongly believe Shabia will never ever do good for Ethiopia and Ethiopians.But what I wanted to say let us just see it as a news.To value the news is up to us.The news provider may not be independent but judgment is still ours.In addition to this we do not have an opportunity to comment Ethiopian government news sources like what we did to Elias or Ethiopian Review.If you try this in Ethiopia your fate will be being thrown away to prison or killed since dictators never ever give you room for discussion.Is it not good for us to comment each other here?Do you know very few of us to get the opportunity to read news from the internet since the Ethiopian government blogged the private sources?Therefore let us get information as much as possible and stick to the news/information which benefits Ethiopia and Ethiopians.
I thank you.
GTRM,
Forgive me for being so ignorant about the disappearing independent media in Ethiopia. Although I am aware of the persecution of the free press just because I do not live it day to day I can
Dear Yishak,
Thank you too,Yishak.I hope one day Ethiopians will get the opportunity to discuss national issues with out any problem.I hope one day we will all sit together to solve our nation problems.
So long you too,my friend.