Ethiopia: Meles Withholds Body Count in Somalia
Published 03/20/2009 – 11:54 p.m. GMT
Credit - reuters
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Ethiopia: Meles Withholds Body Count in Somalia
(VOA) Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has refused to say how many troops were killed or wounded during the nation’s two-year campaign in Somalia.
During a question-and-answer period in the Ethiopian parliament Thursday, an opposition lawmaker asked Mr. Meles to provide casualty numbers from the Somalia conflict.
The prime minister responded by saying it is "unnecessary" for parliament to have that information, and that he is not obligated to provide it.
One Member of Parliament, former President Negaso Gidada, told VOA that he found the comments arrogant.
Gidada says that, as representatives of the people, parliament members have a right to know.
Ethiopia sent troops to Somalia in 2006 to help that country’s government battle Islamist insurgents. The troops fought numerous deadly battles with the insurgents before Ethiopia brought them home in January.
State of Eritrea ሃገረ ኤርትራ Hagere Ertra دولة إرتريا
Dawlat Iritrīya
Anthem: Ertra, Ertra, Ertra Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea
Capital (and largest city) Asmara
15°20′N 38°55′E / 15.333°N 38.917°E / 15.333; 38.917
Official language(s) Tigrinya, Arabic, English Other languages Tigre, Saho, Bilen, Afar, Kunama, Nara, Hedareb,.
Ethnic groups 60% Tigrinya, 30% Tigre, 4% Afar, 3% Saho, 3% Kunama
Demonym Eritrean Government Provisional government
- President Isaias Afewerki
Independence
- From Italy November 1941
- From United Kingdom under UN Mandate 1951
- from Ethiopia de facto 24 May 1991
- From Ethiopia de jure 24 May 1993
Area
- Total 117,600 km2 (100th)
45,405 sq mi - Water (%) 0.14%
Population
- 2009 estimate 5,224,000[4] (109th)
- 2008 census 5,291,370
- Density 43.1/km2 (165th)
111.7/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate
- Total $3.625 billion[5]
- Per capita $681[5]
GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate
- Total $2.117 billion[5]
- Per capita $397[5]
HDI (2007) steady 0.472 (low) (165th)
Currency Nakfa (ERN)
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)
- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the right
ISO 3166 code ER
Internet TLD .er
Calling code 291
1 ,. National TV: Eritrea Television (ERI-TV)
Eritrea (play /ˌɛrɨˈtreɪ.ə/ or /ˌɛrɨˈtriːə/;[6] Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritrīyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeast and east of the country has an extensive coastline on the Red Sea, directly across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands are part of Eritrea. Eritrea's size is approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi) with an estimated population of 6 million...
Source: Wikipedia
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