Somalia/Ethiopia Conflict Update

With the war in Iraq drawing so much attention, most people in the United States probably have no idea what's going on between Somalia and Ethiopia. (for background on this conflict see my post called "A Hornet's Nest") But since our kids are in Ethiopia I've taken a big interest in this lately, especially since several radical Islamist leaders have called for a holy war against Ethiopia.

For those of you playing "catch up"... there's a group of radical Islamists who are trying to overthrow the fragile interim Somali government. These Islamists are Ethiopia-haters. So, on Christmas day Ethiopia crossed into Somali territory to drive them out.

The BBC reported some relatively good news yesterday. Ethiopia is planning to withdraw from Somalia soon. The African Union is trying to throw together a peacekeeping force of 8000 troops to replace them.

But the bad news is that an estimated 3500 Islamist fighters remain in Mogadishu. And one correspondent says that unless the Somali government lets these Islamists into their government that the conflict will never end.

What!?!? I hope this guy is making an observation, not a suggestion!

If the Islamists ever get into government positions in Somalia it could spell trouble for Ethiopia. What happens in Somalia will have a profound effect on Ethiopia.

Where do these guys keep coming from?