Agence France Presse World Service (in English) — Report by Emmanuel Goujon

Mogadishu — Ethiopia’s well-equipped and well-trained army have led the way and provided most of the fighting men that enabled the Somali government to free its capital Mogadishu from the grip of occupying Islamic fundamentalists.

Ever since it was established in 2004, the weak Somali government has never been able to set up its own forces, and has relied on its Ethiopian neighbor to hold the town of Baidoa, where the transitional government has been based, and to retake Mogadishu.

“On the ground, we are happy to be with the Ethiopians,” said one Somali soldier who wished to remain anonymous. “They are the ones who kicked out the jihadists in Mode Mode (near Baidoa) and they have tanks,” he said. “When they come, even us, we’re a bit scared.”

“Our forces were always the first to enter the liberated cities, even if the main fighting was done by the Ethiopians,” said Mohamed Hussein Aidid, Deputy Prime Minister of Somali’s transitional government.

“The strong part of our joint forces is Ethiopian, but our troops are here,” he said. “Six thousand are right now being trained by the Ethiopians, and 6,000 are already in operation with the Ethiopian army.”

For some months the Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa officially sent “military advisers” to Baidoa.

Then a week ago, Ethiopian forces launched a lightning counter-offensive against the Islamists, enabling the Somali transitional government to recover most of the areas the latter had been holding for months, most importantly Mogadishu.

“Around 10,000 Ethiopian troops are inside Somalia and along the border,” said Aidid. “They are fully equipped and mechanized.”

Ethiopia, a rare example of an African country never colonised, has had a long experience of war in recent history, from the time of the former emperor Haile Selassie, via the dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, to the present Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

To defeat the Islamist opponents in Somalia, Ethiopia has deployed attack helicopters and armoured vehicles supported by well disciplined infantry battalions and air cover reconnoitring the terrain before assaults and bombing key strategic targets.

Somali units are equipped with four-wheel drive vehicles armed with heavy machine guns, Russian-made AK-47 assault rifles, automatic rifles and small mortars.

A Somali government official attested to the superiority of the Ethiopian forces.

“The Ethiopians know more than us about traditional warfare, tactically and strategically speaking,” said the official, who did not wish to be identified. “They are the ones preparing the conduct of operations and coordinating them,” he added, explaining that Somali officers generally followed the orders of Ethiopian officers.

In addition to Somali government forces, made up mainly of young men and some women, there is also a police force which has received training in Kenya.

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said: “Altogether we have 1,400 policemen of whom 900 are now being trained in Somalia around Baidoa, while 500 are already deployed in the area we are controlling.”

He said these police would be deployed at some 15 disarmament points the transitional government wants to set up in Mogadishu to disarm all who have been terrorizing the civilian population for years.

“We are planning to disarm around 50,000 militiamen, including those newly recruited by the jihadists, especially in Mogadishu,” explained Deputy Prime Minister Aidid.

This militia, made up of Somalis and foreigners according to the government, has fled Mogadishu and retreated some 500 kilometres (300 miles) south to Kismayo.

Ethiopian and Somali forces were advancing on this position on Sunday.