Kampala Domestic Service in English 1000 GMT

The Somali ambassador to Uganda, Mr. Farah, has informed Field Marshal Idi Amin that the Western Somalis Liberation Front (WSLF) has already captured 97 percent of the disputed Ogaden region and heavy fighting is still going on in the town of Dire Dawa and parts of Addis Ababa and Sidamo district.

The Somali envoy, who was meeting the life president at State House, Entebbe, also delivered to him a special message from the WSLF, Mr Farah also informed the life president that the WSLF are now controlling Mandera and Moyale, which are bordering Kenya. The only border, therefore, Ethiopia has with Kenya, he said, is along the Lake Rudolf area which historically was known as the Ugandan (Rudolf) province. He added that once the whole Ogaden region and Eritrea province are captured, Ethiopia would be in her original position. This will then be known as shaping of modern Ethiopia.

On the battle of the town of Harar, the Somali envoy told the president that heavy fighting is going on and hoped that within a short time the town would fall in the hands of the WSLF. He told the life president that the town of Harar is an historic place because during the time of Prophet Muhammad, Islam was spread all over Somalia from there. During the reign of Emperor Menelik all the mosques in Harar were turned into churches and the WSLF are fighting hard to capture the town so that the churches are turned to what they originally were: mosques.

He further informed the life president that the WSLF is interested in capturing Harar because of the importance of Emperor Haile Selassie I Military Academy.

During the battle of Jigjiga, Mr. Farah told the field marshal, the WSLF destroyed 45 tanks and captured 15 tanks. Among the 15 captured tanks were T-55 and T-34 Soviet-made tanks and (?MI-1) American tanks. He told the president that the WSLF have now formed one battalion called Mengistu Mechanized Battalion. This battalion, he said, is highly equipped with sophisticated weapons captured from the Ethiopian forces and will very soon be in action in the battle of Harar.

He informed the president that the Ethiopian forces have been disintegrated [words indistinct] and have no food supply, and fighting is becoming very difficult for them. The morale of the WSLF, he said, is very high indeed.

On the battle of Dire Dawa, Mr. Farah informed the life president that after the town fell into the hands of the WSLF, the Ethiopian forces ran into the mountains and have started shelling the town. The WSLF therefore withdrew its forces to the railway and road going to Addis Ababa, thereby cutting off communications and supplies from Addis Ababa.

_{FBIS-SSA-77-188, 28 Sept. 1977, pp. B3-B4}