Reply #4: sounds like a lot of hot air [View All]

I suspect they will use foreign troops but not any from their immediate neighbors (i.e. Ethiopia.) From what I have read and heard the principle concern is over Ethiopian troops, and to a lessor extent Kenyan. Ethiopia and Somalia have a longstanding border dispute primarily as a consequence of the original demarcation lines drawn out by colonial powers NOT falling along ethnic borders. Ergo, there are a lot of ethnic Somalis living in Ethiopia and Djibouti (previously French Somaliland), and to a lesser extent in parts of Kenya. Given that Ethiopia won all the historic border skirmishes, Somali pride would be particularly offended by inclusion of Ethiopian troops in any efforts to stabilize Mogadishu. From what I can tell, it is only a minority of Somalis which are against all African Union troops. This minority tends to be made of of those with vested interests in the existing order/chaos in Mogadishu.