MOGADISHU, February 10, 2007 – The Uganda flag was among those burned by protesters in Mogadishu on Friday as they threatened to attack African peace keepers expected to be deployed in Somalia.

Although only about 4,000 of the hoped-for 8,000 troops have been pledged, African Union (AU) Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit said deployment would hopefully happen fast so that Ethiopian troops who helped the Somali government topple the Islamists may exit.

“We all recognize the need for an urgent deployment of the AU mission in Somalia. We have been creating conditions for deployment,” he told reporters in Dar-es-Salaam.

Uganda was the first country to offer troops, though Parliament still has to ratify that. Nigeria and Burundi have also expressed willingness to contribute. Who foots the bill, however, is unclear.

In the Somali capital, about 800 residents took to the streets after Friday prayers to protest against the plan. Flags of the US, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi were burned amid chants of “God is Great.

“The burnt flags are a message for you before you arrive,” one masked protester said. “You still have an opportunity to avoid coming. You will face explosions and death.”

Such threats underlined the fears in many African capitals that a peacekeeping force could become a target for Muslim radicals including foreign jihadists in a nation in chaos and anarchy since the 1991 ouster of a dictator.

Washington , which has acknowledged two air strikes in south Somalia in recent weeks targeting Al Qaeda suspects among fugitive Islamists, is strongly backing the idea of an African force in a country it fears could be a haven for terrorists.

“We need to, like a laser, focus on supporting the sovereign transitional federal government and the Somali people,” US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said at the meeting’s start in Dar -es-Salaam.

Frazer expressed concern at the spate of guerrilla-style mortar attacks against Somali government and Ethiopian military positions in Mogadishu in recent weeks.

The government has blamed remnants of the ousted Islamic Courts, some of whom have vowed a holy war.

Civilians have been the main victims of the attacks. Security officials said the attack, on the Global Hotel in north Mogadishu, had hit the reception and shattered some windows.

Source: Sunday Vision