The third round of talks between the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts (SCIC) and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is scheduled to begin on Monday. But the Islamist delegation warns it will not negotiate as long as there are Ethiopian troops in Somalia, the news portal SomaliNet reports.
The SCIC controls most of southern Somalia, including the capital Mogadishu. In the past few months it conquered many towns and villages in the south, forcing the TFG to take refuge in Baidoa, near the border with Ethiopia. Several hundred Ethiopian soldiers have infiltrated into Somalia in the past few weeks to support the government forces. So far there has not been any major confrontation between the SCIC and the Ethiopian troops, but the Islamists have already announced a holy war against the "Ethiopian enemy."
The talks in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, will be conducted under the auspices of the Arab League. Before leaving Mogadishu, head of Foreign Affairs in the SCIC, Dr. Hasan Adow, told reporters his delegation would not negotiate with government officials "since they are under occupation by the Ethiopian troops." Adow, who heads the Islamists’ delegation, said the Ethiopians must first withdraw from Somalia if the government wanted to begin the talks.
At the end of last week, the SCIC took control over the main road between Mogadishu and Baidoa, preventing the supply of gasoline to the government forces in Baidoa.
The SCIC forces last week also conquered the town of Bur-Hakaba, a few dozen miles from Baidoa. The Media Line’s experts say that if the Khartoum talks fail, a full-fledged war, which will involve Ethiopian and possibly Kenyan soldiers, will be almost certain.