DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti Oct 2 (Garowe Online) -
The President of the Republic of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Ghelle, delivered a fiery speech in Djibouti City commemorating Eid-ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday after Ramadan.
President Ghelle's speech touched on a range of issues, including the conflict in Somalia and Eritrea's role in the Horn of Africa region.
"Our brotherly people in Somalia have suffered 17 years of conflict and exodus," the Djiboutian leader said. "What is the cause of this? What brought it? Why won't it stop? Why are the people against each other? Why are people who walk out of mosques being killed?"
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| Ismail Omar Ghelle, President of Djibouti |
President Ghelle said the peace agreement signed in Djibouti between the Somali transitional government and an opposition faction is a chance at a peaceful solution, but warned of troublemakers.
To Somali government leaders, the Djiboutian President said: "It will not be accepted that you say 'we disagree.' History will not accept it."
The international community looks at the Somali government as officials "who do not accept each other, do not love their country," President Ghelle said, adding: “So how can the world help you when you don's help yourselves? You are responsible for the public."
He urged the Somali opposition to implement a ceasefire as per the Djibouti Agreement, which established a process of "ceasefire, reconciliation and power-sharing," according to the Djiboutian leader.
But President Ghelle warned strongly against militant groups waging war in the name of Islam, saying: "It is prohibited to permit the killing of Muslims."
On Eritrea, the Djibouti President commented that the Eritrean government is not playing a constructive role in the Somali peace process.
"The Somali problem did not start in 2007. If Asmara wanted to do something about Somalia, they would have done so long ago," President Ghelle said.
In September 2007, Somali opposition groups held a conference in Asmara and established the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), an umbrella opposition group that included Islamists, ex-lawmakers and Diaspora activists.
"When you look at the situation [the insurgency], those men in Somaliland deserve congratulations," the President of Djibouti said.
Source: Garowe Online
