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| Africa: Horn |
| ETHIOPIA: Six Divisions on the Move |
| 2005-03-21 |
| March 20, 2005: The UN says Ethiopia has moved over 30,000 troops up to the Eritrean border, most of them near the disputed town of Badme. This breaks down to approximately six new divisions. Ethiopian infantry divisions have roughly 5000 troops each. Ethiopia now has 90,000 troops in the area. This UN report follows a series of reports from mid-December 2004, that Ethiopia was reinforcing units on its side of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) created by UNMEE (United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea). Other sources indicate Ethiopia is also sending new military units to the Somali-Ethiopian border. Ethiopia has indicated it will offer troops to any new Somalia peacekeeping effort, either under the auspices of the UN or the African Union. Many Somali clams, however, have long-standing disputes with Ethiopia and claim that Ethiopia has been meddling in Somali affairs. This could get interesting. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 This guy claims that it's a tribal African case of "let's you and him fight", that the majority of the foot infantry slaughtered in the last go-round, 1998-2000, were Orono tribals thrown away by the Trigay Ethiopian elites. It's damned hard to find any non-NGO-bleeding-heart accounts online of that war, btw. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2005-03-21 3:18:35 PM |
| #10 Good one, Ship. Got a chuckle out of it. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-03-21 3:16:52 PM |
| #9 I thought the fools had worn themselves out last time, but obviously both sides just took a hudna break. This is about measuring testosterone; they won't quit until they run out of bullets or bodies, whichever comes first -- but as tkat's poetic image indicates, it may take a while. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-03-21 3:07:35 PM |
| #8 Ethiopian ground unit combat organization doctrine LOL! Spear carriers first, then spears, then drummers, then motorized corps of the little epulate fellas, then the medium edpulats corp. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-21 2:59:39 PM |
| #7 The UN says Ethiopia has moved over 30,000 troops up to the Eritrean border, most of them near the disputed town of Badme. This breaks down to approximately six new divisions. That depends on Ethiopian ground unit combat organization doctrine. If we go by the old Soviet doctrine it's closer to four divisions max. I s'pect any engagement between like forces will be a bloodbath simply by the virtue that the officers are likely political, likely uneducated as military officers, and are untrained in critical matters like operations and logistics. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-03-21 1:03:19 PM |
| #6 Hell, my grandpa (a WW2 vet) has a replacement hip, left hand shakes, poor eyes but still can put a 3 round group in a teacup size hole from 300 meters. I still wouldn't screw with him. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-03-21 11:46:46 AM |
| #5 Tkat's sez it better. I like the image of two 90 years having it out. Course my great grand day was buried at 96 with his trusty Texas toothpick. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-21 11:05:45 AM |
| #4 WWI? I was thinking about one of those gawd awful south american 1930s numbers. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-21 11:03:46 AM |
| #3 They can't match the scale of the Iran-Iraq conflict but I'm sure they'll match the futility and brutality in the upcoming Battle of the Feebles. Kinda like two 90 years olds having it out manno on manno. They may have the will to do it but the capabilities are pretty self-limiting. Where's Koffi when ya need him?! |
| Posted by: Tkat 2005-03-21 10:59:30 AM |
| #2 Gonna be another WWI-like war, just like the Iran-Iraq war in the 80s. |
| Posted by: Dar 2005-03-21 10:45:14 AM |
| #1 Ill supported and ill prepared troops facing eachother in what is surely the most God foresaken place on earth. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2005-03-21 10:35:29 AM |