[BRIEF NOTE] The Horn of Africa at War
Jul. 21st, 2006 10:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rfmcdonaldThe Head Heeb has more on the impending Ethiopian-Somalian war that I wrote about yesterday. What's going on?
First, in brief. Ethiopia supports the autonomy of Somaliland, at least in part because Somaliland provides Ethiopian commerce with another sea outlet that isn't Eritrea, also in part because an autonomous Somaliland nicely undercuts pan-Somali nationalism. (Formerly French Djibouti, populated in part by ethnic Somalis, is another outlet.) Yebo Gogo notes that Somalian Islamists' desire to fulfill the dream of a Greater Somalia has led them to support not only Somali separatists in the eastern Ogaden region that was the subject of the Ogaden War of 1977-1978, but to help Oromo separatists in Ethiopia's central region of Oromia. The territroy of Oromia, not incidentally, completely envelops Addis Ababa. This leaves aside the unhelpful aid lent by Eritrea to Somalia's Islamists, Sudan's potential role as a troublemaker for either side, or the potential for wider involvement now that the Islamic council has apparently declared a jihad against Christian-dominated Ethiopia.
It goes without saying that this situation is very bad. All of the potential players have entirely legitimate reasons to wage war. How could they not, pitted against neighbouring countries that would like to clientelize or disintegrate them entirely? With no one involved interested in compromise and no one outside committed to controlling the situation, things almost seem to be destined to escape mortal control. Yay.
First, in brief. Ethiopia supports the autonomy of Somaliland, at least in part because Somaliland provides Ethiopian commerce with another sea outlet that isn't Eritrea, also in part because an autonomous Somaliland nicely undercuts pan-Somali nationalism. (Formerly French Djibouti, populated in part by ethnic Somalis, is another outlet.) Yebo Gogo notes that Somalian Islamists' desire to fulfill the dream of a Greater Somalia has led them to support not only Somali separatists in the eastern Ogaden region that was the subject of the Ogaden War of 1977-1978, but to help Oromo separatists in Ethiopia's central region of Oromia. The territroy of Oromia, not incidentally, completely envelops Addis Ababa. This leaves aside the unhelpful aid lent by Eritrea to Somalia's Islamists, Sudan's potential role as a troublemaker for either side, or the potential for wider involvement now that the Islamic council has apparently declared a jihad against Christian-dominated Ethiopia.
It goes without saying that this situation is very bad. All of the potential players have entirely legitimate reasons to wage war. How could they not, pitted against neighbouring countries that would like to clientelize or disintegrate them entirely? With no one involved interested in compromise and no one outside committed to controlling the situation, things almost seem to be destined to escape mortal control. Yay.
