New Somali PM Calls for Talks With Al Shabaab as Ethiopia Troops Re-Enter

Published on Wednesday 18th February 2009

Somalia's newly appointed Prime Minister, Mr. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake, has called for peace talks with Islamist hardliners, as Ethiopian troops re-entered parts of the country, Radio Garowe reports.

Prime Minister Sharmake told reporters in Djibouti City that he is "confident" that hardliners who have rejected the new government can be convinced to negotiate.

"I will sit down with Al Shabaab, because I don't see any reason for them to continue fighting," said the Prime Minister, who has pledged to form an inclusive and effective government to rescue Somalia from 18 years of civil war.

Al Shabaab hardliners have declared a new war against the 'unity government' led by moderate Islamist President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, accusing the new government of being a puppet of Western interests.

Prime Minister Sharmake, who is the son of a democratically elected president who was assassinated in 1969, has promised to improve security and restore the public's confidence in the new government.

Ethiopian soldiers backed by armoured trucks re-entered parts of Somalia Wednesday, raising concerns about Ethiopia's continued incursions onto Somali soil.

Residents in Bakool region along the Somali-Ethiopian border have reported that Ethiopian troops had entered border villages where tensions have been growing recently between al Shabaab guerrillas and a pro-government militia.

It is not clear why the Ethiopian force re-entered parts of Somalia, but the move comes on the heels of public statements from Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who has repeatedly threatened to send soldiers back to Somalia if unspecified "threats" to Ethiopian security emerged.

Al Shabaab militants came to fame while leading a popular two-year insurgency against Ethiopia's invasion of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.