Quote of note:
"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.
US moves diplomat critical of Somali warlord aid
Tue May 30, 2006 02:49 PM ET
By C. Bryson Hull
NAIROBI (Reuters) - 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.
