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Ethiopia declares war on Somalia

jpost.com — Ethiopia declared war on the Islamists in neighboring Somalia who want to rule according to the Koran, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Sunday.

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  • borninda818, on 10/12/2007, -39/+72wow...19 hours and just 20 diggs?
    wtf is wrong with you people...A country just declared war on another country. This should have been front page within three hours.
    • radicaldementia, on 10/12/2007, -14/+148People care a lot less about a war when their own country isn't involved.
    • baseballisfun, on 10/12/2007, -44/+4OMG my life is over.
    • brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -53/+26People don't care because the war doesn't have any light-skinned people involved.
    • paulmdx, on 10/12/2007, -7/+57@borninda818: Maybe it would get more diggs if the title was accurate?
    • calhoun, on 10/12/2007, -5/+28I didn't digg it because it's inaccurate... Ethiopia supports the government of Somalia, it says so in the third sentence of the article.

      edit: what paulmdx said...
    • kingace, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4borninda, radicaldementia, brstilson:

      What war? RTFA.
    • Sirocco, on 10/12/2007, -6/+49Without any obvious way to blame the US, it won't get dugg as much.
    • fernandez, on 10/12/2007, -9/+16what are their demands ? food ???
    • Y0tsuya, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9inaccurate title. no digg.
    • JenadaeX, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1is this a joke?
    • Mr.Ortiz, on 10/12/2007, -25/+21Ok Sirocco, I'll find a way to blame the US so people will digg this story:

      "Here's a real war against actual Islamic extremists (the kind that Saddam Hussein was NOT) who are on the verge of capturing an entire nation (just like Afghanistan...hey, what ever happened to Afghanistan?). What a great opportunity for George the Decider to rack up another victory in his Global War on Terror and save millions from living in a violent fascist state. What's that? He's not going to do anything about it? He's not even going to talk about it? Why not? Oh, right. Somalia doesn't have any oil."

      How was that?
    • freff, on 10/12/2007, -7/+24That's a good start Mr.Ortiz. You just forgot to add that George Bush doesn't like black people.
    • compaqnigg, on 10/12/2007, -10/+13Ethiopia has fighter jets? They must have traded 10 Olympic runners for a Fighter Jet. Thats a fair deal... the US sucks at long distance running.
    • foolfromhell, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7How long has it been since a country officially declared war against another country, and it was a fair fight?
      Mostly its rebels or terrorists nowadays. The US officially declared war on iraq and afghanistan, but it was far from a fair fight.
    • kludwick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5False. RTFA.
    • foolfromhell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Edit time:
      The article sounds like Ethiopia is run by the Islamic extremists. Can someone confirm this for me?
    • supersirj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Unfortunately, people care more about what's happening with the Wii and Apple more than these current events.
    • abasher, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2@supersirj
      Maybe people figure digg as more useful for those kinds of articles. War declarations have a tendancy to make headlines of traditional newspapers (and their net couterparts). Cool geeky stuff (which is what the avg. digger is looking for) doesn't normaly get newspaper articles.

      +The headline sucked
    • Killerah, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5@Ortiz
      Actually, not doing anything about it doesn't make it our fault at all. I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything about it, I'm just pointing out the fact that your logic is off. And you probably knew that. You probably just wanted to get some Bush bashing in.
    • broomett, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Or...possibly...people aren't digging it is because they don't see Digg as being the place to get your current events. You know...because of how idiotioc a notion that is.
    • grantski, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Let's get Christmas out the way first, then we'll show an interest.

    • Livert, on 10/12/2007, -8/+9What do you call an Ethiopian class photo?

      Barcode.
    • gardnert1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you can bet the French Foreign Legion has already been involved with the conflict, and most likely the US as well since both nations has security responsibilities in the area.
    • loveism, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0People care a lot less when they don't even know where the countries involved are. I'm embarrassed for them.
    • scatfly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@supersirj
      wii and apple are not current events?
    • Refrag, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1www.jpost.com

      That's why I didn't Digg it. What the heck is that? I'm not even going to bother clicking on it.

      Then I read about this on Yahoo and decided to come back here and to Digg it, but I agree the headline is inaccurate.
    • Anvilman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Buried for being TOTALLY INACCURATE. Here's a more realistic take: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/26/world/africa/26somalia.html?hp&ex=1167195600&en=379eca8adacf5198&ei=5094&partner=homepage

      bad title-writing, imo.
    • tyho, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1The digg-kids don't care cause they can't blame Bush for this....can they?
  • TheG2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Heres a better article and a bit more update to date.

    http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/12/25/somalia.jets.reut/index.html
    • sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11Oops wrong spot, digg me down like a sex machine.
  • AmishRefugee, on 10/12/2007, -31/+2and people will start sarcastically saying "religion of peace" in 3...... 2...... 1.......

    btw, I have never seen one muslim EVER call their own religion the "religion of peace," it is a term only used sarcastically to belittle muslims as a whole and it sickens me.
    • Klowner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8So, wait.. It's insulting if we call them peaceful? ... confused
    • ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11"I have never seen one muslim EVER call their own religion the "religion of peace,""

      if they said it, would you listen?

      note: thats against amishrefugee and not muslims, who happen to be every bit as peaceful as athiests, christians, and jews, and only get a bad name from a couple of extremists
    • physphd, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3I'm a little confused at this subthread: Ethiopia is a predominately Christian country and were the ones that "declared" this war, as well as having a long history of keeping Somaliland and Puntland in political disarray and sending troops across the border.

      Also this title and summary are grossly misleading. Ethiopia wants to help the so-called government of Somalia, while the Muslim population of Somalia doesn't want that same government.
    • AmishRefugee, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1what i mean darkcyde is that muslims (from my experience) never claim that they are THE peaceful religion, but people criticize them by claiming that muslims say they are. look at the anti-islam stories on digg and you'll see people saying things like "religion of peace? doesn't seem so peaceful to me." (or other more sarcastic and scathing remarks) My point is that saying that is ***** because i never see muslims claim their religion is the religion of peace, no matter if that's actually true or not.
    • BeTold, on 10/12/2007, -16/+81) "Islam" means "peace through the submission to God".

      2) "Muslim" means "anyone or anything that submits itself to the will of God".

      3) Islam is not a cult. Its followers number over 1.5 billion worldwide. Along with Judaism and Christianity, it is considered to be one of the three Abrahamic traditions.

      4) There are five pillars of practice in Islam. These practices must be undertaken with the best of effort in order to be considered a true Muslim: A) Shahadah - declaration of faith in the oneness of God and that Muhammad is the last prophet of God. B) Formal prayer five times a day. C) Fasting during the daylight hours in the month of Ramadan. D) Poor-due "tax" - 2.5f one's savings given to the needy at the end of each year. E) Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, if physically and financially able.

      5) There are six articles of faith in Islam. These are the basic beliefs that one must have in order to be considered a true Muslim. They are belief in: A) the One God. B) all the prophets of God. C) the original scriptures revealed to Prophets Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. D) the angels. E) the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter. F) the divine decree (or destiny).

      6) Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life: moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, intellectual, etc.

      7) Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. To become Muslim, a person of any race or culture must say a simple statement, the shahadah, that bears witness to the belief in the One God and that Prophet Muhammad was the last prophet of God.

      8) "Allah" is an Arabic word that means "God". Muslims also believe that "Allah" is the personal name of God.

      9) Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God of all people and all creation. Just because people refer to God using different terms does not mean that they are different gods. Spanish people refer to God as "Dios" and French people refer to God as "Dieu", yet they are all the same God. Interestingly, most Arab Jews and Arab Christians refer to God as "Allah". And the word Allah in Arabic appears on the walls of many Arab churches.

      10) The Islamic concept of God is that He is loving, merciful, and compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is just and swift in punishment. Nevertheless, Allah once said to Prophet Muhammad, "My mercy prevails over my wrath." Islam teaches a balance between fear and hope, protecting one from both complacency and despair.

      11) Muslims believe that God has revealed 99 of His names (or attributes) in the Holy Qur'an. It is through these names that one can come to know the Creator. A few of these names are: the All-Merciful, the All-Knower, the Protector, the Provider, the Near, the First, the Last, the Hidden, and the Source of Peace.

      12) Muslims believe in and acknowledge all the prophets of old, from Adam to Jesus. Muslims believe that they brought the message of peace and submission (islam) to different peoples at different times. Muslims also believe that these prophets were "muslims" because they submitted their wills to God.

      13) Muslims neither worship Muhammad nor pray through him. Muslims solely worship the unseen and Omniscient Creator, Allah.

      14) Muslims accept the original unaltered Torah (the Gospel of Moses) and the original Bible (the Gospel of Jesus) since they were revealed by God. However, none of those original scriptures are in existence today, in their entirety. Therefore, Muslims follow the subsequent, final, and preserved revelation of God, the Holy Qur'an.

      15) The Holy Qur'an was not authored by Muhammad. It was authored by God, revealed to Muhammad, and written into physical form by his companions..

      16) The Holy Qur'an has no flaws or contradictions. The original Arabic scriptures have never been changed or tampered with.

      17) Actual seventh century Qur'ans, complete and intact, are on display in museums in Turkey and many other places around the world.

      18) If all Qur'ans in the world today were burned and destroyed, the original Arabic would still remain. This is because millions of Muslims, called Hafiz (or "preservers") have memorized the text letter for letter from beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also, chapters from the Qur'an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in each of the five daily prayers.

      19) Muslims do not believe in the concept of "vicarious atonement" but rather believe in the law of personal responsibility. Islam teaches that each person is responsible for his or her own actions. On the Day of Judgment Muslims believe that every person will be resurrected and will have to answer to God for their every word, thought, and deed. Consequently, a practicing Muslim is always striving to be righteous.

      20) Islam was not spread by the sword. It was spread by the word (Islamic teachings) and the example of its followers. Islam teaches that there is no compulsion in religion (the Holy Qur'an 2:256 and 10:99).

      21) Terrorism, unjustified violence and the killing of innocent people are absolutely forbidden in Islam. Islam is a way of life that is meant to bring peace to a society, whether its people are Muslim or not. The extreme actions of those who claim to be Muslim may be, among other things, a result of their ignorance or uncontrolled anger. Tyrant rulers and those who commit acts of terrorism in the name of Islam are simply not following Islam. These people are individuals with their own views and political agendas. Fanatical Muslims are no more representative of the true Islamic teachings than Timothy McVeigh or David Koresh are of Christianity. Extremism and fanaticism is a problem that is common to all religious groups. Anyone who thinks that all Muslims are terrorists should remember that the famous boxer Muhammad Ali, perhaps the most celebrated person of our era, is a practicing Muslim.

      22) The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad which are more relevant to the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness, arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.

      23) Women are not oppressed in Islam. Any Muslim man that oppresses a woman is not following Islam. Among the many teachings of Prophet Muhammad that protected the rights and dignity of women is his saying, "...the best among you are those who treat their wives well." (Tirmidhi)

      24) Islam grants women numerous rights in the home and in society. Among them are the right to earn money, to financial support, to an education, to an inheritance, to being treated kindly, to vote, to a dowry, to keep their maiden name, to worship in a mosque, etc., etc.

      25) Muslim women wear the head-covering (hijab) in fulfillment of God's decree to dress modestly. From a practical standpoint, it serves to identify one as attempting to follow God in daily life and, therefore,
      < mother Mary, Virgin the and Teresa Mother Nuns, Catholic traditional are examples Prominent history. throughout women righteous by worn been has dress modest type This men. advances unwanted>
      26) Arranged marriages are allowed in Islam but are not required. Whereas "forced" marriages, usually stemming from cultural practice, are forbidden. Divorce is permissible, however, reconciliation is what is most encouraged. But if there are irreconcilable differences then Islam permits a fair and just divorce.

      27) Islam and the "Nation of Islam" are two different religions. Islam is a religion for all races and enjoins the worship of the one unseen God who, orthodox Muslims believe, never took human form. The "Nation", on the other hand, is a movement geared towards non-whites and teaches that God appeared in the form of Fard Muhammad in 1930 and that Elijah Muhammad (a man who died in 1975) was a prophet of God. These beliefs clearly contradict the basic Islamic theology outlined in the Qur'an. The followers of "the Nation" adhere to some Islamic principles that are mixed with many other teachings that are alien to Islam. To better understand the difference between the two, read about Malcolm X, his pilgrimage to Mecca and his subsequent comments to the media. Islam teaches equality amongst all the races (Holy Qur'an 49:13).

      28) All Muslims are not Arab. Islam is a universal religion and way of life which includes followers from all races of people. There are Muslims in and from virtually every country in the world. Arabs only constitute about 20f Muslims worldwide. Indonesia has the largest concentration of Muslims with over 120 million.

      29) In the five daily prayers, Muslims face the Kaaba in Mecca, Arabia. It is a cube-shaped stone structure that was originally built by Prophet Adam and later rebuilt by Prophet Abraham. Muslims believe that the Kaaba was the first house of worship on Earth dedicated to the worship of one god. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba. It serves as a central focal point for Muslims around the world, unifying them in worship and symbolizing their common belief, spiritual focus and direction. Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba is empty.

      30) The hajj is a simultaneous pilgrimage to the Kaaba made by millions of Muslims each year. It is performed to commemorate the struggles of Abraham, Ismail and Hagar in submitting their wills to God.
    • sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12You can't possibly expect people to read all that.
    • m3mn0n, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I just did.

      And in for the person who declared "Ethiopia is mainly Christian", according to the CIA it's roughly 50% Muslim and I'm fairly sure the actual number is much higher.
    • nga911, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3i think that you didnt meet a muslim in you live dum idiot ...


    • fufubag, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2BeTold,

      So what?

      It is used by governments and leaders to control their population just like other religions did and still do. Just like other religions it is used by certain governments and extremist groups as an excuse to dictate, suppress, and kill. Take your organized fantasy "my god is better than your god" club and go to "hell".
    • DAVIBE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@AmishRefugee

      http://www.islamicvoice.com/january.2002/embraced.htm
    • physphd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0m3mn0n,
      I'm sorry but you are incorrect. President Meles, basically the entire government, and essentially all the money in the country are controlled by Ethiopian Orthodoxy, and they are the ones that intiated this action. Muslims constitute the impoverished masses.
  • Monkeman, on 10/12/2007, -4/+20Merry Christmas!
  • Rikkochet, on 10/12/2007, -5/+36Perhaps nobody's digging it because the title is incredibly misleading?

    Ethiopia is sending troops to SUPPORT Somalis's government against Islamic militias. Description is misleading and the title is an outright lie. Shame on the submitter for sensationalism.
    • mikeynolikeyu, on 10/12/2007, -25/+7Wait Ethiopia has an army? They fight with sticks or something?
    • Klowner, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Yes, they fight with sticks[a].

      (a. sticks made of metal and wood, and they shoot little chunks of metal, and they're called guns)
  • adellario, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Thank you Rikkochet for pointing that out. Good call, buddy. Maybe that is why this has "so few" diggs.
  • kingace, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Buried as innacurrate for this stupid sensationalist title that basically says the opposite of what's happening - Ethiopia is sending troops to help the Somalian army, not fight against it.
  • awesomepossum94, on 10/12/2007, -19/+5click click click

    i kill chu with my spear
    • ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -9/+12do you racists even understand there is a world outside of america? a world just as 'civilized' as we are?
    • JacNet, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7@ImTheDarkcyde

      Just as civilized? With people like him, i'd bet the UK is more civilized.
    • Roger, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Spears go "click" now?
    • jackminardi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11@ImTheDarkcyde

      actually you are racist for assuming he is an american. can canadians, mexicans, asians, etc not be bigoted?
    • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -8/+4"actually you are racist for assuming he is an american"

      no he is not you *****. i would be willing to bet that DiGG is mostly American. and that most of the idiots that post such garbage, are retarded trash lining the gutters of USA
    • AreYouSure, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1@jackminardi
      he's not racist because americans aren't a race.
    • smokinjuan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2The gutters? Hell, that's the sort of person that's successful in the USA. There's no wonder it's so ***** up.
    • jackminardi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@baxtermaddux
      Then please define racism

      @ AreYouSure
      i used it for lack of a better word
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6how many calories can you burn by hating Americans? does it feel good?

      i'm trying to figure out why everyone's constantly doing it. it's ironic to me that people hate Americans because "Americans are ignorant".
    • fufubag, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3God Damn, i love being an American. Hey all you other countries who obviously don't contain any racists, have perfect governments, and of course are made of only fine upstanding citizens... kiss my ***** American ass bitches! Too bad you can't see the double deuces I'm throwing up right now....

      I hope your job sucks because of America. I have a cake job. I sit on my ass all day getting fat and ignorant, and I drive a truck that uses GAS. Hahahah. I only pay $2.70 (thanks to my president for starting a war! woo!) a gallon, and I just drive around all day buying Christmas presents for my spoiled-ass girlfriend while eating McDonald's, stopping only to ***** hamburger grease and get a little more ignorant. Woo!! ***** all of you! America is the only country that matters. I hope we destroy everyone else. Are there even any other countries besides the U.S.A. I never heard of any...

      Jesus Christ, now will you all stop whining?
  • pevail, on 10/12/2007, -10/+4Guess where the major oil deposits are in Africa?Guess who wants oil real bad?
  • Kahnza, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3So is this the great war of the sticks and stones?
  • thatrez, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3Now, quick, we must extract Susanne Summers from Somalia... who will feed the children of the Christian children's fund?
  • gaagaale, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1another IRAQ.
    • Kahnza, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3Could be worse. Could be another Iran.
  • kettlechips, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Somalia is in perpetual war, unfortunately.
  • naterd00d, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6BURIED, this guy is a ***** dumbass
  • waytoorandomx, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Oh God...
  • OropheR, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4A new frontline opens against the same enemy...A new flashpoint where all the islamic integrists-terrorists will gather.
  • 2tomato, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Ah well, they will need democracy too.
    Anybody sending troops? no? why?
  • OriginalLucid1, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3We had troops in Somalia. Someone pulled them out at the first sign it would weaken his poll numbers. Make no mistake, the U.S. Army Rangers still have a few scores to settle in Somalia.
    • geronimo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Great, things are working so well in Iraq, let's spread democracy and freedom to Somalia and really get it right this time.
    • freff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@OriginalLucid1

      "We had troops in Somalia. Someone pulled them out at the first sign it would weaken his poll numbers."

      Jesus, no one can say you NeoCon's aren't persistent. The same people that were screaming bloody murder when we had US troops in Somalia are now the same people that are supporting nation building in Iraq. That's taking the Blame Clinton defense to a whole new frontier. Congrats.
    • OriginalLucid1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Sorry Freffy, I am, and have always been a Conservative, so you get no points for working "neocon" into your post. You do not know me, therefore I doubt you know how I felt about our troops in Somalia in the 90's. It matters not to me, be it Reagan in Lebanon, or Clinton in Somalia, running away from a fight will only guarantee that you will fight them again when they are stronger.
  • jjb123, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4Wait wait wait, Ethiopia has an army?
    • torabora, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3You comment is of some sort of ignorance but your somewhat right.
      "fighter jets" I wonder where they got those? (most likely Israel and USA, why you ask? because they view them as a threat but truth be told they are only defending they're way of life and thats Islam for them.)

      "Our defense force has been FORCED to enter a war" come on, I bet you 100% that Israel and USA wanted them to go to war and are going to aid them through it.
    • jjb123, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I said that because shouldn't they spend that money on their people, they are one of the poorest countries.
  • Ramble, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It's smooth sailing all the way up ***** creek from here guys.
  • 60days, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Now there are two countries that could really do with some more money and life spent on conflict. gg humanity.
  • Smeed, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4This gave me the motivation to declare war on my neighbors because they wont live their life according the Curious George books! Im mobilizing as we speak!
    • fufubag, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Well, now, that is a good alternative for your neighbors kids, who are getting raped and murdered because they won't live their lives according to the Dr. Seuss books....
  • blatt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2How sad that this is higher on digg than it is on cnn right now.
  • SuperSunny, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3:( this saddens me. i am tired of living in the united states.
    • eviscero, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7What does this have to do with the United States?

      Pick up a book, better yet, learn to read first.
    • kutaone, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4We're sick of havin' ya...feel free to leave anytime...
    • DieselDaddy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Excellent. Take your ass to North Korea or Iran or Sierra Leone. I'm betting 1 day in any of those places will have you thanking your lucky stars you have the privilege to live in the United States.
    • fufubag, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2bu-bye
  • thejokker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2considering i might be deploying to that area in the near future i wonder how this will play out
  • Soldan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1there is a reason this is not news.... these countries dont serve our purposes... most of africa is in a state of upheaval but nobody seems to care about that.. why do they care about this..
  • gaagaale, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5my friend in europe told me that he is watching al jazeera english, and somali ethiopia conflict is all over their news programs. I wish Al Jazeera was availabe in the US.
  • theadvenger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Hey, if anyone wants to know a bit about this history of this. You should read the article by Gary Brecher he wrote earlier this month. http://www.exile.ru/2006-December-01/war_nerd.html
    • geronimo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Wow a link to war nerd, I can't mod you up enough. He is spot on 9/10 times.
  • Corrosionx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Everything was doing fine in Somalia, until some people wanted a government, now look what you have.
  • Monkeyget, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4To give you some insight on the situation :
    Ethiopia supporting the Somalia gouvernment is quite of an understatement. The transitory government only really control Baïdoa and without the 15000-2000 Ethiopia's troops they already would have been wiped out.

    The country has been in anarchy for the last 15 years and unfortunately the first casualities are the civilians.
    One one side there is the islamic courts which formed because (aka Somali Islamists) of the complete lack of government institution providing health-care, education and the like. They claim that Ethiopia tries to gain control of the country. Even though it doesn't seem to be talked about much they are supported by eritrea.

    On the other side there is the american backed transitory government which considers the Somali Islamists as (suppsedly) controlled by an al-quaïda terrorist cell.

    The real problem is that the conflict might degenerate and spread to other countries. With sudan already in a complete mess it wouldn't take much to destabilize a whole part of africa.
    (Sudan lies to the west of Ethiopa which is itself to the west of Somalia while Eritrea as a border with both Ethiopia and Sudan. Boy what a mess).
  • Daiken, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I know a lot of people think the title is inaccurate but Somalia is pretty much run by the Muslim Group already. Therefore to help the original government, they're going to have to fight their way through. I dunno it's all pretty ridiculous. It seems pretty clear the majority of people in the country want the Muslim group to rule, but the past government is holding on with just military strength and support from foreign countries who shouldn't have any say in this. Somalia is actually standing up to their screwed up rulers, something people in a country like the US could never do.
    • thewatchman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1you can't really think that the majority of Somalis want the "pray-5-times-a-day-or-die" type of government. that's *****. nobody wants that type of "government". (except of course the people who run it)
  • mrnukem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Napoleon said "An army marches on its stomach." and last I checked neither side was able to stop mass starvation on either side of the border. This will be a short conflict for sure.
  • dutchee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3a map of africa for those of you who might not know exactly where somalia and ethiopia lie:

    http://www.mapsofworld.com/images/maps_of_world_africa.gif
  • otheruser, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3The "Islamist Militia" is the same army that liberated Somalia from the U.S. backed war-lords. The Islamic Court is a populist movement.

    The. U.S. & other foreign powers don't give a damn what the Somalia people want, they're more interested in crippling Islamic leadership where ever it may be.

    The people are now caught between the crossfire, and that is the real tragedy.
  • simurg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4A brief map of the battle:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Battle-of-baidoa-12252006-0719.svg
  • mos6507, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4The Taliban was a populist movement too, until the people realized they were actually worse off for it.



  • merkato, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0people, stop being so ignorant and pay attention.
  • xmuzik, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0CRIPPLE FIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Rivetgeek, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1This is like two retarded kids punching each other on the playground.
  • fegul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I'm Ethiopian and while Ethiopians didn't necessarily want a war, they knew something had to be done soon. Plus Somalia was a hotbed for all sorts of terrorists due to the state of anarchy. If anything Ethiopia is fighting their own war on terror and Somalia happens to be a place where there are a lot of fanatics. And yes Ethiopia does have an army, its one of the best and most experienced in Africa. The hardest part is going to be maintaining strength along the northern border with Eritrea because their PM Issias Afewerki is a dumb ass and only knows how to get what he considers to be revenge. Also note that Ethiopia allowed Eritrea to secede rather peacefully in 1993. Eritrea just wants to start something and they'll start helping out the Muslim extremists just to piss of Ethiopia. As far as I'm concerned, Issias can shove a bullet up his tight ass because he just likes to start *****. I went to Ethiopia during the border conflict in 1999 and its a little ***** up how Eritrea got away with trying to invade Ethiopia but the world isn't exactly fair. BTW, Ethiopians don't necessarily hate Eritreans, they just can't stand their government (Eritreans and Ethiopians are considered to be the same since they pretty much are. We call each other Habeshas).

    In any case, Ethiopia is just another country allied with the war on terror. It should help out the US considering it helps disrupt any nefarious schemes terrorists in the region might be planning. Plus the US was never quite successful in Somalia, Ethiopia is just taking care of the dirty work. The sooner its all over, the better for everyone.
    • fegul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6FYI, the Muslim govt in Somalia declared a jihad on Ethiopia last week. This is Ethiopia's response. They don't want any terrorist attacks and its considered to be a pre-emptive strike (much like the US and their response towards Iraq)
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1i find it odd that someone actually dugg you down. people's digging habits still bewilder me.
    • aceg1357, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@fegul

      Thank you for shedding some insight on the matter.
      I look at it in much the same way you do. The jihadists in Somalia, not the Somalian government, have said they wanted to have a jihad in Ethiopia. Basically spread Islam to infidel Christians. This is something that was going to come sooner rather than later and Ethiopia is just starting it instead of waiting around to get hit. I have a feeling this will not be a short conflict and Eritrea as well as Sudan might get involved. I wish the Ethiopians the best of luck because the jihad is coming. Unfortunately I don't think you can count on the UN or the international community for any help. Look at Darfor. Jihadists killed 200,000 people and nobody bats an eye. SAD SAD SAD.
  • Farticus, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1Gang warfare, nothing to do with religion.
    Who is funding the thugs?
    • merkato, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4gangs? this is the worlds 14th most populous nation (75million people) vs. a gang called UIC.
  • gaagaale, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1the real ain't start, both sides are fighting in small towns in the border, but when the war reaches Mogadishu, we will see the real war!!!
  • kingthot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Herein lies the weakness of digg. Sensational but misleading headlines like "Ethiopia declares war on Somalia" (which should read "Ethiopia declares war on Somali Islamists") get dugg and misinform. Read and think before you digg! Oh and don't drink and digg.
  • DAVIBE, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2 i was watching CTV NEWSWORLD (channel 50 for those with cable in canada)

    and the blonde lady said that Ethiopia doesnt want Somalia to become an islamic state....

    IF this is true, i dont think Ethiopia has the right to interfere in another country internal-affairs.
    • fegul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6It's not opposition towards Islam as a religion from what I can gather. The Islamic government in Somalia has been trying to gain control of a region within Ethiopia's borders with lightly armed mujahideen. If that same government took over the internationally recognized government already within Somalia, it isnt too difficult to see the Islamic government launch a full assault on the Ogaden region within Ethiopia and threaten its borders again.

      As far as the world is concerned, the recognized government of Somalia is under attack by the Muslim opposition and Ethiopia is fighting alongside the weak transitional government to protect both Ethiopia's borders and the recognized government that is also under attack.
  • daxsymbiont, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1may the ***** that start and support wars stop having that power.
  • VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeahyeah, make all the food jokes you want, but Ethiopian food is actually really good. If you haven't tried it some time, do so.
  • soFAKE, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0This is fake. Everybody knows Somalia doesn't even exists. It is a fake country name.
    • nga911, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2lol

      you must be from the U.S.A
    • merkato, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2nga911, that is a great guess. lol
    • freff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@nga911

      lol

      You must not get jokes. See the guy's name for a clue.
  • Lokix, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1WTF is Ethiopia going to do, throw small, undernourished children at the Somalians? They explode on impact and have a chance to spread parasites.. lol
  • CantScanMoney, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Ethiopia during WWII was under attack from Mussolini and the Italian invasion. At the time Ethiopia and Somalia were one country. The Italians tried using the Somalians as Spies and Saboteurs and Ethiopians knew this so they grew to hate them and they broke away to form a colonized state under the Italians and tried to help them invade and colonize Ethiopia but they never did and Mussolini ended up being over thrown because of frequent losses. So there has been tension there for a LONG time. I’m an Ethiopian and I know this because of my parent’s military ties.
  • icarus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4the title is misleading. it should be ethiopia helps somalia transitional government to wage a war against union islamic court (uic). somalia is currently controlled by 4 different political entities such as the unrecognized government of somaliland, puntland, union islamic court and the transitional government.
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