Somali standoff persists as US roots for dialogue

Islamic courts chief Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed said over the weekend that Ethiopian troops had crossed the border to help Yusuf defend his base in Baidoa, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) northwest of the capital, and warned of bloodshed if they did not leave.

“This is a rumour … there are no Ethiopian troops in Baidoa,” Yusuf told reporters at a news conference, where he hardened his stance against the courts, which regard him as no more than another unruly warlord.

In addition, he renewed his call for the deployment of peacekeepers into Somalia, despite opposition from the Islamists, who have vowed to attack any foreign troops who step into the country.

The East African grouping, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), has long had problems with the deployment, ranging from an existing UN arms embargo on Somalia to opposition from the Islamists, who have taken control of the capital, Mogadishu, and several other key areas.

“On our part, we are ready and set for the deployment, but I think it takes time for the AU and IGAD to go in tandem to the UN Security Council to ask for the embargo on arms to be lifted,” he said.

After the setback of its latest strategy in Somalia, the United States pressed the Somali foes to open a dialogue on the future of their impoverished country, which is threatened by a combination further disintegration and acute food shortage.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said Washington, accused of bankrolling the now-defeated warlords, is currently consulting with the region, which has failed to restore a government in Somalia in the last 15 years.

“We need the Islamic Court Union to enter into a dialogue about the way forward for Somalia and for all groups to stop any aggressive moves, but rather to sit around the table,” Frazer told reporters in Kampala at a start of visit across east African to discuss the deteroriating situation in Somalia.

But Yusuf rejected the call, saying he will not meet the Islamists until they recognise his powerless government and give up all the territories they have seized.

“As long as the Islamic Court Union recognizes the government … and if they harbor democratic processes, then we will negotiate and open dialogue with them,” Yusuf said, officially throwing cold water on to efforts by east African nations.

The Islamists, who have steadly continued to entrench Islamic theocracy, have announced readiness for talks, but not with conditions. The UN and African Union plan to send teams to Somalia to assess security and meet the courts’ officials.

The two Horn of Africa leaders met a day after General John Abizaid, the head of the US Central Command, held talks with Meles on continuing efforts to combat terrorism while east African leaders and the Arab League swung into action to help avert a political crisis in Somalia.

A key US ally in Washington’s so-called war on terrorism, the largely secular Ethiopia is nervous about the swift victory of the Islamist forces, whose influence could spur unrest in Ethiopia’s southeastern Ogaden region, where ethnic Somalis have been fighting for greater autonomy.

The US, concerned about growing extremism in Somalia, helped bankroll a secular warlords alliance, the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT), in February.

The Islamists deny US claims that they have links to extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and that they harbour foreign fighters, and instead claim to be working to restore law and order in the Horn of Africa nation.