Losing Somalia, US Eyes Somaliland
Islamonline.net & Newspapers
CAIRO With its allies failing to stabilize war-racked Somalia, the US is
turning its attention to the breakaway Somaliland as the new card to play in
the strategic Horn of Africa region.
"Somaliland should be independent," one defense official told the Washington
Post on Tuesday, December 4.
Somaliland is an autonomous region in the north-western portion of Somalia
that advocates independence from Mogadishu.
The breakaway territory of some 3.5 million people declared independence in
1991, but is not internationally recognized.
American officials are now examining whether the US should give support to
the region's independence.
They argue that Somaliland could offer greater potential for US military
assistance inside Somalia.
"We should build up the parts that are functional and box in" unstable
regions, particularly around Mogadishu, said the defense official.
Somaliland's leaders have long distanced themselves from Somalia's central
transitional government.
The region has escaped much of the chaos and violence that plagued Somalia
since neighboring Ethiopia sent in troops to oust the Islamic Courts in favor
of the interim government.
Since then, Somalia has plunged into abyss with daily shooting and fighting.
Difficult Option
The Pentagon's plan is facing opposition from the State Department, which
believes Washington should not recognize Somaliland until the African Union
does.
"We do not want to get ahead of the continental organization on an issue of
such importance," Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi E. Frazer told the Post.
The issue is diplomatically sensitive because recognizing Somaliland could
set a precedent for other secession movements seeking to change colonial-era
borders, opening a Pandora's box in the region.
"We're caught between a rock and a hard place because they're not a
recognized state," recognizes a senior official in the US Department of Defense.
Other Pentagon officials fault the State's view altogether.
"The State Department wants to fix the broken part first," said the defense
official. "That's been a failed policy."
In Djibouti, US military officials are eager to engage Somaliland.
"We'd love to, we're just waiting for State to give us the okay," said Navy
Capt. Bob Wright, head of strategic communication for the Combined Joint Task
Force Horn of Africa.
The force is composed of about 1,800 US troops who conduct military training
and reconstruction projects in the region.
Washington says Somalia as the greatest source of instability in the Horn of
Africa.
Pro-Ethiopia
But as US officials mull their options, they stand stubborn in supporting
their Ethiopian ally in the war-torn nation.
"Any government that provides Somalis with assistance we support, including
Ethiopia," a senior defense official affirmed.
In recent months, several human rights groups have spoken out against
Ethiopian violations in Somalia.
They accuse Ethiopian forces of abuses such as raping, indiscriminate killing
of civilians and bombing and burning of entire villages.
"I am unaware of specific allegations regarding the conduct of the Ethiopian
troops," said the Pentagon official.
Ethiopia has long been a strong ally of Washington in the strategic Horn of
Africa.
For years the US has been pouring weapons, military advisers and millions of
dollars in military aid into Ethiopia, and the American military has trained
Ethiopian troops at bases in the eastern region.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2007-12/04/02.shtml
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