The Horn of Africa has long been underlined as one of the strongholds of Islamic jihadists and extremists and the international community is stepping up pressure to resurrect the situation there. But, in the wake of the death of 17 civilians in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Saturday, things have resorted to their bleak shade once again.
Somalia is the poorest nation in the world and is also one of the most violent. So much so that international military force is required to combat the Islamic insurgents who have been killing the nation from the inside for several years now. While much of the international community is in favor of a Ethiopian-led force to contain the violence in the African country, the Somalians themselves are in utter disarray over the current affairs.
Saturday’s intense fighting between Ethiopian-backed Somali troops and Islamic jihadists led to the death of 17 civilian, including women and children. Most of the witnesses and Somalians blame the Ethiopian troops for the death. They are stated to be merciless and disorganized in their raids so much that innocent civilians often have to face the brunt of the attacks.
The unwitting introduction of children into the equation in the Somalian crisis is indeed an cruel act but desperate still is the inability of the Somalian interim government to do anything to wrestle power from the Islamic militia. It was only with the help of the Ethiopian troops that the Somalian authorities could drive out the Islamic extremists from the capital Mogadishu a few months back
Although it would be hard to deny that Ethiopian forces are not needed in a frail and fragile nation as Somalia, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians by the troops is of course unwanted and ought to be resented by one and all. But at the same time, such a situation cannot be altered as long as the African Union doesn’t intervene.
Image: IRW
Source: CNN
