http://www.presseurop.eu/en The best of the European press in 10 languages enhttp://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/305301-berlin-lost-somalia"German debacle in the horn of Africa", headlines Die Tageszeitung after the disappearance of 1,000 Somali peacekeepers freshly trained by German armed forces in Ethiopia. "The fact that no one knows what (the peacekeepers) are doing or for whom they are fighting" is worse than a scandal, proclaims the daily, which blames Berlin for shirking its responsibilities in acting without prior UN approval and by neglecting to provide for the return of the peacekeepers to Somalia. The TAZ openly questions the wisdom of military training programmes, a staple of European and German civilian aid in Africa as well as Afghanistan, wondering if such programmes truly contribute to lasting peace. Citing Britain's own experience in Somalia, the TAZ notes that between 1999 and 2002 the Hart Group trained members of the Somali Coast Guard, some of whom have now become the region's most competent pirates.

(News in brief)]]>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:42:43 +0100305301 http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/121741-peacekeepers-lamentWed, 21 Oct 2009 18:15:36 +0100121741