By Hamid Golpira
The powers that be who rule the United States and other Western countries are currently trying to kill three birds with one stone in Somalia.
Their first objective was to topple the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) government and ensure that the Islamist movement never returns to power. This was the reason for the U.S. air strikes and the invasion by the Ethiopian Army that drove the UIC government out of Mogadishu in late December 2006 after the movement had ruled much of the southern part of the country for about six months.
The Somalis are a pious people and could have established a nationwide Islamic government, and therefore the enemies of Islam manipulated the situation in that African country, with the result being that there has been no unified government in Somalia since January 1991. However, in the north, citizens have set up Puntland, which is a self-declared autonomous region not seeking independence, and Somaliland, which has declared its independence, although no country has recognized it.
The second objective was to install the “government” of warlords that was based in Baidoa as vassals of the United States. The warlords, who brought death, destruction, and chaos to the country, were never popular among Somalis and will now be even less popular since they were installed through foreign intervention. Since they have no popular support base, they will always be dependent vassals.
The third objective is to give Ethiopia the impression that it will be backed by the West in its traditional role as the regional power in the Horn of Africa. In reality, the U.S. wants to make Ethiopia its main regional vassal state.
The situation in Ethiopia is complicated, with various factions all pursuing their own agendas.
The ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which once claimed to be anti-imperialist, wants to consolidate its power through its alliance with the United States.
The EPRDF came to power in May 1991 when its troops toppled the Marxist regime that had ruled the country since 1974. The EPRDF is a coalition dominated by the Tigrayans of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The Amhara had ruled the country for millennia until 1991.
The members of the Ethiopian opposition movement, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), are biding their time in the belief that dissatisfaction over the war with Somalia will deliver them more votes in the next election.
And then there are the old school Ethiopian intelligence agents, who are said to be adepts at the occult practices of their ancient homeland. They are aware that the CIA is laying a trap for Ethiopia to make it a vassal state of the United States and thus have prepared their own trap.
The veteran Ethiopian intelligence agents are seeking to maintain Ethiopia’s independence, end the dominance of the Tigrayans, and return the Amhara to power.
The Horn of Africa has become the newest active area on the geopolitical grand chessboard.
However, the Union of Islamic Courts is still a force to be reckoned with.
But will Muslim countries, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and other Muslim groups support the Somali Muslims, or will they continue to neglect them, as has been the case for 16 years?
For true Muslims, the answer is clear. The Somali nation is an integral part of the Islamic ummah and must be supported.
This article was originally published in Tehran Times on Feb 18, 2007