Somali opposition forms new coalition, alarms government - AFP

ASMARA (AFP) — Somali opposition leaders meeting in Eritrea united Wednesday in a common alliance against Ethiopian forces, warning Addis Ababa it was "now or never" for its troops to withdraw.But Somalia's government warned that the group was "upgrading terrorism cells" in the country, which western intelligence fear could become a haven for extremists, a spokesman said.

The new opposition coalition, called the Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia, includes a 191-member "central committee" that will function as a parliament.A 10-person "executive committee" is expected to be announced on Thursday, closing the opposition congress that kicked off in the Eritrean capital Asmara on September 6."We have reached a concrete and viable resolution in seven days... something few Somali conferences have been able to do," congress spokesman Zakariya Mahamud Abdi told reporters.

But he had a stark warning for Ethiopian troops, heavily deployed in Somalia since they rescued embattled transitional government forces last year."We warn Ethiopia to withdraw immediately... it is now or never and in a few weeks they will not have a route to withdraw," Abdi said.In Mogadishu, Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed expressed alarm over the development."We do not see it a liberation group, but a terrorism group. It is just upgrading terrorism cells in the country," said Gedi's spokesman Abdullahi Muhidin Mohamed.Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys -- wanted by Washington for suspected links to Al-Qaeda -- and several other key leaders of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) that briefly controlled large parts of Somalia last year were present at the meeting.The Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has blamed the Islamists for the violence that has continued to rock the devastated seaside capital.

But the opposition forces gathered in Asmara retort that their struggle against Ethiopian occupation is legitimate and blamed Ethiopia and its US allies for the continued instability in Somalia."We will have a two-track strategy -- the first to engage the international community and regional countries to support us in our cause," Abdi said. "We are the victims and Ethiopia are the villains."The 350 opposition figures and diaspora representatives also discussed military strategy against Ethiopia, whose vastly superior military inflicted a heavy defeat on the ICU earlier this year."The other (track) will be armed struggle -- what was taken by force will be taken back by force," Abdi said.Abdi said the delegates had vowed to work and fight until Somali was freed and urged the Somalia population to do the same."The Somali people are warriors. We have no real military machines but we are a people armed to the teeth -- there are 1.5 million small arms in Somalia," he said.

The elected leaders of the new alliance are expected to remain in Eritrea to hold further consultations but participants in the congress that the organisation would then locate its headquarters inside Somalia.Abdi reiterated the opposition's call on the United States to change its policies in Somalia and the rest of the region."There are no terrorists in Somalia, but the policies of the United States will create extremists by their presence," he said. "It is very dangerous and we don't want to engage the region in a religious dog fight."Since the ouster of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has had no central authority and defied several initiatives aimed at ending bloody tribal feuds and restoring stability.

Source: AFP