By: A.R. Hassan
Friday, 20 March
 |
|
The City of Mogadishu in flames -.(AFP/File) |
A full scale war has erupted in Mogadishu today! The Ethiopian occupation army is foolishly sucked in a dirty house to house urban warfare which they probably can never win. Despite their superior fire power and sheer numbers, the Abyssinian forces are pinned down in their strongholds which look like their graves.
The insurgent forces siege all enemy positions, cutting supply lines and preventing their movement. Out of desperation, the Ethiopians are reduced to frantic, incessant artillery bombing on an already battered city. This forces the city’s estimated two million inhabitants out of their homes, creating a huge sprawling make- shift camps around Mogadishu.
With the majority of the population out of city, the two fighting camps are engaged in a suicidal entrenched confrontation. Obsessed by their previous victories in the open fields, the Ethiopians must have grossly miscalculated their chances in a house to house urban engagement. They may turn Mogadishu into a huge archealogical site for future historian generations, but may not break the will and spirit of the fiercely patriotic Somali people.
“We can not let Mogadishu burn” said prime minister Meles Zanawi of Ethiopia, a day after his troops entered the capital city of Somalia. Analysts knew the connotation behind this sinister remark. It meant we have been given the golden chance to demolish it and we are going to do just that. The irony here is that Zanawi himself, gets into a quagmire by overstaying in Somalia, particularly the capital which is the pride of the country and symbol of independence.
His unwarranted persistence to stay longer in Somalia, is the strength of the insurgents. It unites the nation and galvanises into a common national defence struggle. His troops, the poor conscripts, pay the price for his foolhardy military adventures. The insurgents are gathering momentum and coming from all parts of the country to defend their motherland from a bitter and historical enemy.
The horn conflict can escalate into another Iraq, if the trend continue this way and no third party intervenes in time. Prime minister meles Zanawi, must be pressured by the international community to withdraw from Somalia before it is too late. With the Ethiopians out, the Somalis can convene a peace conference arranged and managed by a third impartial party like the United Nations or Europe. Only by the timely intervention of the United Nations and Europe, can a potentially explosive situation in the horn of Africa be avoided. America is seen as partial and prejudiced and can not mediate the horn conflict.
Since he can not tame Mogadsihu, Zanawi must pull out or risk a full scale war with terrible backlash. By doing so, a costly confrontation can be averted. It will also give Somalia a chance to reconcile and rebuild.
Ahmed Raghe Hassan
E-mail: [email protected]