Somalia: opposition stands against foreign troops
Text by: RFI Follow
In Somalia, the united opposition calls for the departure of Ethiopian troops not part of the African Union force, AMISOM. Formed in preparation for the presidential election scheduled for the end of the year, the coalition, called the Forum of National Parties, made its first strong political gesture, denouncing the failure of the African Union special representative in Somalia.
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Read moreChaired by the last two Somali presidents, but also a former Minister of Defense and several famous party leaders, the Forum brings together heavyweights of political life. And it is as a united opposition front that this brand new coalition, founded last October, issued a statement on Tuesday, worried about the repeated blunders of the Ethiopian army in Somalia, which it says it considers as an " occupying " force and whose departure it demands.
The Forum specifically calls on MPs to investigate the May 4 blunder, where Ethiopian non-AMISOM soldiers mistakenly shot down a humanitarian plane while approaching Bardale airfield in the southwest.
Ethiopia, loyal support of President Mohamed "Farmajo", maintains indeed several contingents intervening in Somalia in strategic sectors for the power sitting in Mogadishu.
According to the Forum, the presence of these foreign troops without a warrant is a violation of the sovereignty of Somalia. And for him, the responsibility also lies in part with the Special Representative of the President of the African Union Commission, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, who, according to the opposition, is an accomplice of partisan interference in Somali affairs.
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