lovely place to do business

Ethiopia with nearly half of it's population muslim,is obviously very concerned, as we all should be, about the threat of growing islamic fundamentalism within it's neighbours borders. The problems are as I see it, and from what I read are as follows:
Apparently, previous war lords are being reinstated in the cities so far successfully retaken;
The African Council demands all foreign troops leave now;
The likelihood that the trouble will end soon is low.
Having said all those words of caution, good luck to all ye who enter RRS.




Ethiopia 'to besiege Mogadishu'

Somali troops will play a waiting game [AP]



Residents of Mogadishu have begun readying themselves for more fighting after Ethiopian troops and government forces prepared to besiege the Somali capital.

Al Jazeera reported widespread looting in the city on Wednesday night, as its inhabitants sought to stock up on supplies as the Ethiopian army advanced closer.




Ethiopian troops, backing forces from Somalia's transitional government, advanced to within 50km of Mogadishu earlier on Wednesday.

But Somali government envoys to Addis Ababa said that their forces would not enter the city before fighters from the Islamic Courts Union surrender.






"There is a fear among the population in the capital that the government will force its way into Mogadishu but we are not going to do that," Ali Ahmed Jamah, the information minister, said.

Ethiopian forces on Wednesday captured the town of Jowhar, 55km north of Mogadishu.

Islamic courts vow to fight

The Islamic Court Union, meanwhile, vowed to resist the government's advance, fight the Ethiopians and maintain security in Mogadishu.

"The security we are enjoying is very important and we cannot let violent people destabilise our city," Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the chairman of the courts' executive committee, told a press conference in Mogadishu.

The Islamists have so far not substantially resisted the Ethiopian advance but have instead withdrawn their forces to defend Mogadishu.

On Wednesday, leaders of the courts also said that they were inviting foreign Muslims to come to Somalia to fight the Ethiopian forces.

US support for Ethiopia

The US has also voiced cautious support for the Ethiopian offensive.

"Ethiopia has genuine security concerns with regard to developments within Somalia," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

The US government has accused the Islamic courts of harbouring al-Qaeda members and men suspected of bombing US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998.

The African Union and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference have called on Ethiopia to withdraw.

The UN Security Council failed to agree on a statement that Qatar had proposed, which would have called for all foreign forces to withdraw from Somalia.