Reject claims of Somali 'crisis' 

10:00 PM PST on Sunday, January 7, 2007

By AL MARIAM 

For the past 15 years, Somalia has been in a state of clan warfare and anarchy.

Following the bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, U.S. policy in Somalia focused on counterterrorism and the capture of the so-called East African cell of al-Qaida operatives. This past June, an alliance of Islamist militiamen suspected of having ties to terrorism swept the country, forcing the Western-backed Somali Transitional Government to retreat to the town of Baidoa, under the protection of Ethiopian troops. 

The current invasion of Somalia by troops loyal to Ethiopian dictator Meles Zenawi evokes images of the fireman who deliberately sets a house on fire and calls the fire department to come and put it out. As the firemen arrive, he is heroically fighting the blaze, earning the gratitude and admiration of his colleagues. 

Zenawi is the metaphorical equivalent of the fireman. He invented a jihadist bogeyman in Somalia, exaggerated the Islamist threat and caused panic and alarm in the Bush administration. Now he hopes to present himself as America's No. 1 ally in fighting terrorism in the Horn of Africa. 

The truth of the matter is that the whole jihadist threat in the Horn of Africa -- the "New Taliban" -- is a figment of Zenawi's imagination. He is trying to divert international attention from his massive and gross violations of human rights in Ethiopia by creating a jihadist bogeyman. 

Over the past year, Zenawi has locked up opposition leaders who won the May 2005 parliamentary elections, along with thousands of opposition party members, civic society leaders and human-rights defenders. 

Initially, Zenawi denied having any military presence in Somalia. He later admitted sending a few hundred military advisers to prevent Islamists from overrunning the Somali government and destablizing the Horn of Africa. 

The Bush administration has openly supported Zenawi's adventures in Somalia to deny any foothold to al-Qaida terrorists. 

The Islamists have now been routed, but the United States still does not have a coherent policy to help Somalia develop democratic governance and spur economic development. We should not be surprised if Somalia returns to business as usual: more clan warfare, anarchy and famine. President Bush declared: "All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you." He probably did not have Ethiopia in mind when he said that.