Over a thousand Ethiopian troops accompanied by military vehicles slowly moved in to the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday. Hundreds of Mogadishu residents could be seen clapping and handing wreath to the Ethiopian troops. Even though really, truly, they support the Islamic Courts. Everybody at Rooters knows that...
Premier Ali Mohammed Gedi accompanied by his assistant minister Hussein Mohammed Farah Aideed gave a speech to some of the government officials that came along with him at the building of late Emirates president Sheik Bin Ziad Anahyan in Afgoye, 30 km south of the capital Mogadishu. Gedi said the government will impose a state of emergency on the capital until the government and the Ethiopian troops secure the capital Mogadishu. “No clan will be allowed to possess weapons of any kind. We will deal with people who claim they seized grounds according to the government laws”, he said.
Gedi pointed out that the Somali people should not fear. He called on them to cooperate with the Ethiopian troops. “The capital will be secured by our good friends, the Ethiopian troops and the Somali forces”, he said.
"More the former than the latter..."
The prime minister’s remarks came as residents in Mogadishu were waiting for senior government officials to come to the capital and deliver speeches. Prime Minister Males Zenawi, who held a press conference in Addis Ababa, said the Ethiopian troops entered Mogadishu. He said the Islamist radicals who are on the run will not be allowed to escape. “We are working with the international community that the radicals should not escape by sea or land”, he said.
If you're working with the International Community™, they're as good as gone.
He indicated the Ethiopian troops would be withdrawn from Somalia when the Ethiopian government [sic] becomes able to handle its security and problems in the country.
I think he means the Somali government. The Aethiops know there's no word for "gratitude" in Arabic, and probably none in Somali.
Hussen Aideed, the Somali internal minister, who spoke with reporters, said his government would move to Mogadishu. “The president will come to the capital Mogadishu and it will control the country completely”, he said.