Somalia: Bad Policies of Strange Bedfellows - allAfrica.com

The last of the Ethiopian soldiers left Mogadishu yesterday, concluding their long-awaited evacuation of the capital city. Their departure was feted in the streets by euphoric throngs of cheering residents, who, one might imagine, had the same thought in their minds as President Meles Zenawi: "Goodbye, and good riddance."

With Islamist militias sweeping in to fill the vacuum, the political complexion of the city appears much the same as it did when the Ethiopians found it, leaving observers to wonder why exactly they were sent in the first place. Indeed, if it were not for the summary executions, rapes, theft, and rampant depopulation caused by Ethiopian forces, the mission could be dismissed as mere farcical bumbling by the autocratic Mr. Zenawi.

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