HOME

The Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Friday witnessed its share of the multifarious conflict situation in Somalia as three member states traded verbal blows in relation to the volatile country.

Ministers of the seven-nation organization were holding a one-day meeting in Kenya, Nairobi when Ministers of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia accused each other of aggravating the conditions in Somalia.

Foreign Minister for Somalia's interim government Ishmael Hurreh accused Eritrea of its involvement in his country saying: "The government of Eritrea is openly involved in undermining, including through the use of force, the legitimately recognized transitional federal government of Somalia."

Ethiopia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tekeda Alemu on his part told the delegates from the member states, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda that Eritrea is actively involved in terrorism in Ethiopia and the sub-region.

"With the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, the situation in that country has entered a new and very dangerous phases neither advancing peace and stability nor democracy," Amdeab Gebremeskel, director of African Affairs in Eritrea's Foreign Affairs ministry is reported to have said.

Eritrea and Ethiopia who are locked in a border dispute that has not been resolved have been blaming each other over the situation in Somalia.

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of arming and supporting local rebel groups and the defeated Union of Islamic Courts, in an effort to destabilize its security.

Eritrea is reported to be hosting members and others said to be sympathizers of the ousted Union of Islamic Courts.

It however says that they were only in Asmara for talks.

On numerous occasions Eritrea has also openly opposed the deployment of peacekeepers in Somalia.

Attempts to convince Asmara other wise, by regional countries such as Uganda which is the first to send its troops in Somalia have not been successful.

On Friday, officials of the African Union pleaded to donors for the provision of assistance for the peace mission in Somalia.

Said Djinnit, the African Union's Peace and Security Commissioner, appealed to donors who made pledges toward the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia to release those funds urgently and added that the two-year delay in deploying the force had led to a costly war and hundreds of civilians killed.