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MOGADISHU (AFP) — Somali elders on Thursday sneered at Ethiopian troops for doling relief food to hungry Mogadishu residents, saying the exercise was just a gimmick to cover their blood-soaked hands.

“Somalis are aware the hostility of the Ethiopians towards the Somali people, the whole exercise was a gimmick to show the world that they are humane forces,” said Mohamed Hassan Haad, chairman of Hawiye Traditional Council Chairman.

“The Ethiopians kill our people day and night our people so we shall be careful receiving aid from them,” added Haad, the dean of Mogadishu elders.

“If they are concerned with the welfare of the Somalis, then why do they bombarded civilians. The only help the Ethiopians could give us is leave Somalia unconditionally and immediately.”

“We are advising the people who have taken food yesterday not to eat food. Their is a strong possibility that this food may contain poison,” he added, without explicitly blaming the Ethiopians of poisoning Somalis.

In Somalia, just like the rest of Africa, elders are influential.

On Wednesday, Ethiopian troops based in southern Mogadishu raised money and bought relief supplies — sorghum and maize — that they distributed to hundreds of Somalis in an apparent bid to win over some of those opposed to their continued presence in Somalia.

Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in late 2006 to bolster the feeble Somali transitional government.

Early this month, London-based Amnesty International accused Ethiopians of carrying out arbitrary executions — mainly in Mogadishu — in their crackdown on Islamist rebels.

Addis Ababa flatly rejected the claims.

Last week, the United Nations said 2.6 million people in Somalia were facing acute food shortages and would require urgent humanitarian assistance to avoid a catastrophe. The figure is expected to reach 3.5 million by year-end.

But the UN and aid groups have scaled down operations owing to increased insecurity, largely blamed on Islamist militants who have waged a deadly guerrilla war since they were ousted from Mogadishu by joint Somali-Ethiopian forces in early 2007.

Somalia has lacked a functional government since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre touched off deadly factional clashes that have defied numerous bids to restore stability.

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