blinkx

  • SOMALIA/KENYA: Mogadishu residents take to the street to demonstrate against the bombing by Ethiopian troops in Somalia

  • 00:01:14
  • ITN Source
    • Browse

SOMALIA/KENYA: Mogadishu residents take to the street to demonstrate against the bombing by Ethiopian troops in Somalia

The Islamic Courts in Mogadishu organised demonstrations on Sunday (December 24, 2006) to protest against the bombing of several Somali towns by Ethiopian troops. Scores of women and children gathered in one of the main markets in Somali's capital Mogadishu to badger men walking along the streets to join the war. Yusuf's Ethiopian-backed government, without money to field its own real army, supports the IGAD (The Intergovernmental Authority on Development) plan to help it get out of its sole outpost in Baidoa, which has become venerable as it is surrounded by the Islamist - and from under the protection of Ethiopia. It is not the first time the Islamist has called for a demonstration in Somalia to denounce the neighbouring country Ethiopia. Crowds of mostly young men and a few veiled women gathered on the streets in the Islamist-controlled capital. "We call on all Muslims world over to come and help us rescue Somalia, we are in danger and we call all Somalis to take their weapons to defend their Country" said a Mogadishu resident, Cabdi Kafi Hillowle Osman. The SICC (Supreme Islamic Courts Council) captured Mogadishu and a swathe of south Somalia in June, frustrating the Western-backed government's aim to restore central rule for the first time in 15 years. "They were fighting on the ground and they have stopped and today they are using their aircraft to bomb us, we are defending while they decided to strike all borders including Bandiiradley, Beletwein, Baidoa and Bakol, they used all types of weapons" Islamic Courts secretary Sheikh Mohamud Ibrahim Suuleey told reporters. Several radio stations aired patriotic songs, urging Somalis to defend their country against old enemy Ethiopia, with some songs dating from the 1977-78 Ogaden war. During that conflict, Ethiopia's army defeated Somali troops who tried to lay claim to its ethnically Somali Ogaden region.

ITN Source | December 25, 2006Watch more videos from ITN Source

Tags:. .used. .sunday. .without. .towns. .june











Aim   Aircraft   Along   Army   Badger   Baidoa   Bombing   Borders   Capital   Captured   Central   Conflict   Council   Courts   Crowds   Danger   December   Decided   Defending   Demonstrate   Demonstrations   Denounce   Enemy   Ethiopian   Ethiopias   Field   Frustrating   Gathered   Ground   Ibrahim   Intergovernmental   Islamic   Islamist   June   Kafi   Kenya   Main   Mogadishu   Muslims   Neighbouring   Organised   Osman   Outpost   Patriotic   Protection   Protest   Rescue   Residents   Restore   Rule   Scores   Secretary   Sheikh   Sole   Somalia   Somalis   Stations   Strike   Sunday   Supreme   Surrounded   Swathe   Told   Towns   Troops   Types   Urging   Used   Veiled   Venerable   Weapons   Westernbacked   Without   Yusufs