Somali president and his prime minister have reportely travelling to Ethiopia and Sudan

Sudan to undertake mediation effort between the interim federal government and the Union of Islamic Courts

Tuesday June 20, 2006 (HOL): Interim president of Somalia Abdullah Yusuf and the interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi have reported travelled to Ethiopia and Sudan from their the interim base in Somalia, the city of Baidao.

The Somali Ambassador in Ethiopia Abdikarim Farah Laqanyo informed the AFP that the president has arrived in Addis Ababa and would stay there briefly where he will hold talks with representatives from the African Union on the issue of sending a peacekeeping force to Somalia

After a discussion on the possibility of sending a peacekeeping force to Somalia, the African Union decided to send a fact finding mission to Somalia to evaluate the current situation in the country, particularly the capital city of Mogadishu where recently forces loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts (UICs) have seized power from a coalition of powerful warlords.

Prime Minister Gedi who also has left Baidao this afternoon is reportedly headed to Addis Ababa where he will join the interim President and together are expected to go to Khartoum to hold talks with representatives from the African Union and IGAD.

Somalia has received increased attention from the international community since forces of the UICs have gained control of the capital city of Mogadishu as well as several other key town from a coalition of warlords who reportedly have been receiving assistance from the US. Unconfirmed reports say that the President of Sudan Omar Hasan al-Bashir will hold mediation talks between the UICs and the interim federal government

On the other hand, Ethiopia’s news agency (ENA) has reported that the Prime Minister of Ethiopian Meles Zanawi and the head of US Central Command Gen. John Abizaid held talks on Somalia.

Chairman of the UICs Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has accused the Ethiopian government of sending troops to Somalia and interference in the internal affairs of Somalia. Ethiopia denies these accusations although it admits sending troops to border areas.

The visits of high ranking representatives from Somalia to Ethiopia and Sudan comes after a recent request from the interim Somali Parliament for a peacekeeping force to Somalia, an idea opposed by the UICs who argue that the need for foreign troops in Somalia has diminished since they ousted warlords from Mogadishu and other towns in Southern Somalia which led to increased security.

Furthermore, due to the requests from representatives from the interim federal government for foreign troops, the visits of the interim President and Prime Minister to Ethiopia, as well as recent statements from the interim President and Prime Minister that offended the UICs, the hope for talk in Somalia between the two sides has decreased.

Source: Hiiraan Online, June 20, 2006