US Moves Diplomat Critical Of Somali ‎Warlord Aid‎‎

A armored militia vehicle moves towards gun battles in the Somali capital Mogadishu May 27, 2006. A top U.S. official handling Somalia has been transferred from his job after criticizing payments to warlords that are said to be fuelling some of Mogadishu's worst-ever fighting, diplomats said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Shabelle Media

By C. Bryson Hull

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 30, 2006 – A U.S. official handling Somalia has been transferred from his job after criticizing payments to warlords that are said to be fuelling some of Mogadishu's worst-ever fighting, diplomats said on Tuesday.

Analysts in the close-knit community of Somalia-watchers in Nairobi said the State Department transferred Michael Zorick, formerly Somali political affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, to the Chad embassy after he spoke out.

The move exposes a rift inside the U.S. government on how to handle Somalia -- whether efforts to build peace should come before counter-terrorism -- and the effect Washington's perceived role has had in inflaming fighting there.

At least 320 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the city since February in battles between the warlords, who dubbed themselves the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, and Islamist militias.

"He really decided to take up the battle. He realized very well what he was doing," a Western diplomat who is close to Zorick and asked not to be identified, told Reuters.

Other diplomats involved with Somalia, including those from Washington's allies, have expressed frustration at what they say is U.S. aid to warlords. Such aid undermines Somalia's weak interim government, seen as the best hope for peace, they say.

Zorick could not be reached for comment and e-mails sent to his State Department address, which had previously worked, were returned as undeliverable.

SPEAK OUT

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said: "People have a right to speak out. If they want to within the policy-making process, within the system, speak out, they can."

He declined to give details to reporters in Washington of any decision about Zorick because generally the State Department does not discuss personnel issues.

Bob Kerr, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi which is also responsible for neighboring Somalia, confirmed Zorick was due to leave his post in June but left early in April.

"There were no unwilling transfers," Kerr said, declining to discuss the reasons for Zorick's early move.

But diplomats involved in Somalia, including U.S. officials, had said in the past it was widely known Zorick had disagreements over policy toward the Horn of Africa nation.

Analysts say Washington's widely believed links with the warlords have had the contrary effect of rallying Islamist groups and increasing support for them among Somalis, who are not usually strong supporters of radical Islam.

The analysts say it has also strengthened the influential Mogadishu Sharia courts -- which have brought a semblance of order to parts of the lawless country -- against the government.

The diplomats said Zorick opposed a U.S. intelligence plan to capture a handful of al Qaeda suspects believed to be in Somalia, by paying warlords there -- among them ministers in the government -- to hunt them down.

"He felt it was wrong in the sense that it didn't achieve the objectives," the Western diplomat said.

Zorick was part of the peace process in Kenya to create the Somali government, formed in late 2004 in the 14th such attempt since dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre was ousted in 1991.

The new administration has made little progress and stays in the south-central town of Baidoa because it is too weak to move to the capital.

Another diplomat, who spoke to Zorick just before he left, said he had grown frustrated that the embassy had often been kept in the dark about Somalia operations. That had a bad impact on Zorick's work with the government there, the diplomat said.

The United States has never confirmed its support for the warlords but has made clear it will work with anyone it considers an ally in its counter-terrorism fight.

Ambassador William Bellamy said last week the United States was being "wrongly blamed" for fighting in Somalia and should be credited for spending millions in aid and peace work there.

Washington has invested considerable military and intelligence resources in the Horn of Africa, starting with a base in Djibouti, and is known to operate in tandem with local security services and Ethiopia in particular.

Source: Reuters

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