FP Original: Bloodshed on the horn of Africa

Posted By Elizabeth Glassanos Friday, December 29, 2006 - 2:50 PM Share

Somali interim government troops backed by the Ethiopian military have taken Mogadishu:

Crowds lined the streets of the bullet-scarred coastal capital as the Western-backed interim government's prime minister drove in smiling and waving.

But the Islamists' retreat from Mogadishu does not herald their defeat just yet:

In the north of the city, Ethiopian army trucks drove on without responding to a barrage of stones. The demonstrators set fire to tyres in the road and chanted anti-Ethiopian slogans.

"I am against these infidels coming to my country," said 21-year-old protester Ubah Mohamed, who was wearing a veil. "We will even go as far as to become suicide bombers," she said, as a group of young men standing around her noisily agreed.

Asked how long Ethiopian troops would remain in Somalia, Gedi said: "They will stay until we send them back to their country." Many fear a guerrilla war by the Islamists.

An Islamist leader told the BBC: "Since Ethiopia started using air power and heavy artillery, we have changed our tactics and are getting ready for a long war."

Expect more bloodshed.

Editor's Note: Elizabeth Glassanos is an accomplished illustrator and member of the FP production team. She will be contributing original artwork to the blog on an ongoing basis.

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