Melez didn't want to invade Somalia

[Bamaarn]

He was blackmailed and forced to do it.

But one of the released WikiLeaks cables suggests a different picture, one that implicates Frazer in pressing Ethiopia’s President Meles Zenawi to invade his neighbor.

Had he refused, the US would have cut aid, and Congress would have condemned him for human rights violations and repression.

At the time of the Somali invasion, Zenawi found himself in trouble. He was facing growing criticism for the wave of repression he had unleashed against domestic Ethiopian critics of his rule that had included mass arrests, the massacres of hundreds of protesters, and the jailing of virtually all the country’s opposition leaders. By the spring of 2006 there was a bill before the U.S. Congress to cut off aid to Zenawi unless Ethiopia’s human rights record improved.

http://original.antiwar.com/prince/2010 ... e-somalia/

[kambuli]

This world is getting scarier by the day

[waryaa]

Neighboring Eritrea is immune to such arm twisting because it gave aid and other conditional incentives the middle finger a long time ago. Poor but fully sovereign.

[udun]

Are we kidding ourselves here as we all know who was orchestrating things behind the scene. We haven't heard the whole story yet since no mention of which country that was doing the air assualt is not revealed yet. Who was delivering the white phosphorous chemical attacks against Iidaale and Daynuunay fronts where over 500 Somali resistors were killed in one night? That is one night!

I think we should all dig and see who was financing all of the factions in the civil war and who was bringing the ammunition. The whole story has not yet been heard.

[James Dahl]

The USA's fingerprints are all over the invasion. They have all but admitted that they had special forces and air support for the Ethiopians, and now we know what most of us have long suspected, that the USA was the one who ordered Ethiopia to invade.

[ciyaal_warta]

the fat ass arabs tell them good job on somalia...kos om om om omal-7kaamal-3arab

[EEGA9]

This was known from the early days, nothing new.Meles was facing Internal pressure from opposition groups and International scrutiny following the 2005 elections and the operation was about preserving his TPLF regime.Ethiopia unilaterally invading Somalia would have been dangerous for his regime.He didnt have the resources or even the Military might considering his overstreched from Eritrea to the Somali border.

[VanHersi]

Are ethiopians mentally weak? Especially their army?

[Bamaarn]

This world is getting scarier by the day

The world would be more safer if people continue to believe lies.

Who was delivering the white phosphorous chemical attacks against Iidaale and Daynuunay fronts where over 500 Somali resistors were killed in one night? That is one night!

Only the US, Israel and Canada have been documented to use white phosphorous chemical.

The USA's fingerprints are all over the invasion. They have all but admitted that they had special forces and air support for the Ethiopians, and now we know what most of us have long suspected, that the USA was the one who ordered Ethiopia to invade.

A few/several weeks ago, I have read at a respected Western site that the Ethiopians suffered 20,000 casualties. Is that true?

[ciyaal_warta]

A few/several weeks ago, I have read at a respected Western site that the Ethiopians suffered 20,000 casualties. Is that true?

i heard about 26k

[Bamaarn]

i heard about 26k

They must have suffered heavy losses. I don't think Ethiopia would ever entertain another adventure in Somalia.

[VanHersi]

Yep very mentally weak people, I still don't get how they have a population of 85 milion when they were once just a country of 10 million.