A U.N. report accused U.S., Ethiopia over Somalia
By Mark Turner at the United Nations and Barney Jopson in Kenya
Financial Times
Ethiopia is accused of killing civilians with white phosphorus bombs, the US navy of attacking suspected al-Qaeda operatives in Puntland, and Eritrea of delivering surface-to-air missiles to Islamist militia, in a startling new report on Somalia by UN arms monitors.
Warning that the number of weapons in Somalia now exceeds that during the early 1990s, when the failed East African state was engulfed in civil war, the UN monitoring group describes persistent instability in which anti-government Islamist forces are far from a spent force, and former warlords are reasserting themselves.
From late last year to mid-June, the UN analysts – whose previous report courted significant controversy with its contested claims of weapons and personnel flows between Somalia and the Middle East – conclude that an Ethiopian invasion and African Union peacekeepers have failed to stop massive arms flows into the country.
Furthermore, the latest period has witnessed a “drastic increase” in piracy off the Somali coast, and “pirate command centres” are operating “without hindrance” at many coastal landing points.
“In brief, Somalia is awash with arms,” the report says. “There is no clearly established authority that has the capability of exercising control over a majority (of the weapons).”
Some of the most dramatic claims implicate Ethiopia and Eritrea, who are believed to be conducting a proxy war in the country, through their respective backing of the transitional government and Islamist and clan-based militia.
During a battle on April 13 between the Ethiopian military, which remains in the country, and the Shabaab, elite forces from the Islamic Courts Union, “Ethiopian military forces resorted to using white phosphorus bombs … approximately 15 Shabaab fighters and 35 civilians were killed.”
Ethiopia denies the claims, saying it does not possess such weapons. The monitoring group obtained pictures of the area of impact of the bombs, and a soil sample analysed in Nairobi was consistent with their use.
Meanwhile, despite its conventional defeat by Ethiopia in December 2006-January 2007, the Islamic Courts Union has switched to guerilla and terrorist tactics, including suicide attacks and targeted assassinations. Recent arms seizures by the government “represent only a small fraction of the total arms belonging to and hidden by the Shabaab”.
Shabaab fighters shot down a Belarussian cargo plane in late March 2007 with an SA-18 surface to air missile, “reported to be a part of a consignment of six SA-18s that had been delivered by Eritrea”. The monitoring group has a video of the firing of the missile. Eritrea has denied involvement.
The monitors also say they received reports that on June 1 this year, the US Navy “attacked by firing several times at suspected al-Qaeda operatives near the coastal village of Bargal, Puntland, Somalia.”
When questioned, the US government said it had “conducted several strikes in self-defence against al-Qaeda terrorist targets in Somalia”.
Also of concern is the panel’s finding that “warlords are now among the most important buyers of arms at the Bakaraaha arms markets”, in Mogadishu, “and are trying to regain control over their former fiefdoms (which they lost to the ICU in 2006).”
“The warlords are currently trying to reconstitute and arm their respective militias, some of which consist of as many as 500 fighters.”
Separately, a long-awaited peace conference has entered its second week in Mogadishu as organisers seek to reconcile the country’s myriad clans, political factions and former warlords. But its success is likely to be hampered by the absence of two key constituencies: representatives of the the Islamic Courts Union and the powerful Hawiye clan. They refused to attend in protest against the continued presence of Ethiopian troops in the country and the interim government’s perceived lack of willingness to engage with its opponents.
6 thoughts on “Meles is using chemical weapon against Somalis”
All minority dictators under desperation will use the most inhuman available weapons to keep their undeserved power. It is an ultimate strategy for which all human groups struggling against desperate minority dictators need to take in to consideration and put counter measures in place well in good time.
For example, Saddam Hussein have committed the same genocidal crimes with the weapons he freely received with great blessings from key western circles persuing their own narrow strategic agendas and beduin oil wells, while Hussein was commiting mass murder with the permission of the weapons suppliers.
The sum total? Endless chaos, violence and a hell on planet earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_Weapons_Convention#Member_states
Elias, The above link give you an idea the names of countries , who are capable, reserve and produce any kind of Chemical or Biological weapons , unfortunately yours and my country Ethiopia, is not on this list!! Some one, the other day said that Ethiopia is in its final phase to produce nuclear bomb, is there any one out there , who heard this news?
this is expected of Meles and his alleys and there is no need to justify huge of chemical weapons if it is used against terrorists. Americans used atom bomb against japan-history repeats itself. But who is the terrorist now? somalis or Meles/America? Somalis are in their ownland and they have God/Allah given right to defend themselves from outsiders.
Sham on America! This is the weapon Meles acquired from N/Korea with the blessing of the US. Who will be the next victim of Meles/US? May Ogaden ? Eritrea ?
This seems a very serious allegation. We have to make certain that our sources are reliable when it comes to such internationally prohibited types of weapon. I am not discarding the information neither endorsing the allegation but trying to share my sincere advise.
Doro Manekia,
Do you have the brain of a Doro(chicken)when you are reading what is not written.
The article claimed that the dictator is using chemical weapons against innocent poor and hangry Ethiopian civilians, but did not claim that Meles manufactures those chemical weapons himself.
In fact reliable sources claim that Meles deliberately expelled the International Red Cross and other humaniterian organizations from the Ogaden area in order to hide his use of the inhuman chemical weapons against innocent civilians.
Meles is using various types of warplanes, tanks and other military hardwares none of which he is producing domestically and the current inhuman chemical weapon is just part of these arsenals meant to clean poor humans and grab their oil fields. That is all.
All Ethiopians and other humanitarian people all over the world need to resist and resist to the end.
The title says, “’meles’ is Using chemical weapons against Somalia.”
The story begins “’Ethiopia’ is accused of killing civilians with white phosphorus bombs.”
I don’t care about what is Meles doing outside the country as a hobby or what ever he is. Don’t mess with our Ethiopia. While the action is conducting by non- Ethiopians (Meles, Sebhat and gangs) the blame becomes against Ethiopia.
The duty to the brave and true Ethiopians must be defending the bullies against Ethiopia, rather than inflaming the biased and false stories in order to create hostility against Ethiopia. We have many horrible reasons inside the country to accuse, blame and expose meles and Sebhat anti Ethiopian empire.
Don’t be part of the international conspiracy against Ethiopia financed by Arabs (Muslims) and the job is conducted by some incompetent and disgraced western journalists selling their integrity for oil money comes from the west.
Blame, expose and fight against meles for his doing in the country. Stop being in love with Somalia, OLF and ONLF. Believe me, these are the very enemies of Ethiopia financed by the Arabs (Muslims). We don’t need any kind of extremist inside the country as well as the neighbouring states.
Be aware, SOME WESTERN JOURNALISTS ARE WRITING ANYTHING FALSE OR NON OBJECTIVE STORIES IF THEY GET MONEY FOR IT. THEY ACT AS IF THEY BECAME JOURNALISTS TO GET MONEY DOING ANYTHING BAD DEPENDS ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY. They don’t care who pays, as long as they get the money. These kinds of journalists are now getting lucrative deal to spread lies against Ethiopia bringing the Ogaden, Somalia and the like issues. Why don’t they write the truth about Meles committing crimes against the Ethiopian people? Because Ethiopians are not paying them to tell the true story to the world. In contra Meles is paying them to lie for him for his campaign destroying Ethiopia.