When Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia last December, John Githong'o from his Oxford redoubt "prayed that the gates of hell have not been opened in the region as a result of this intervention." Three months later, John's fears of a nightmare scenario still cannot be ruled out, as evidenced by the revolting desecration on Mogadishu's streets of dead Somali and Ethiopian soldiers' bodies, followed by the downing of the plane supporting the African Union peace-keepers.
Salim Lone, " If the US wishes to avoid another protracted crisis which also has the potential to destabilise its allies in the region, it should bring in theUnited Nations, which would name a senior Special Representative who would head a new political mission in Somalia, to which the AU peace-keepers would be subordinate. Somalis would need to be convinced that this is a genuine attempt by non-interested parties to create a broad-based governing coalition."
