By Guled Mohamed MOGADISHU, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Mogadishu residents took to the streets after Friday prayers to protest, burn flags and threaten attacks against a proposed deployment of African peacekeepers in the Horn of Africa nation. Nearly 800 people took part in two demonstrations at the central Tarbuunka Square and in a north Mogadishu neighbourhood that had been a stronghold for the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) during its six-month rule of the city. Masked men led the protest in that area, some threatening to greet a potential African Union (AU) peace force with violence. Most of the demonstrators appeared to be sympathisers of the Islamists, who were toppled in a two-week joint offensive by Somali government and Ethiopian troops in late December. "We are burning the flags of countries that fuel chaos in Somalia," said one protester through a loudspeaker. "They are America, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Malawi and others." One-by-one, the flags were burnt amid chants of "God is Great" as smoke billowed skywards. Traditional anti-Ethiopian sentiment has been heightened among some sections of Somali society by the intervention of thousands of troops in late December to rout the Islamists. Analysts -- and most Somalis -- say Washington gave Addis Ababa its tacit blessing, and post-war air strikes by the United States against fugitive Islamists have deepened that impression. Kenya has also become a target of protests because its closure of the border after the war was viewed by many to be taking sides against the Islamists. Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi have all been discussing contributing to an African peace force. The AU wants to send 8,000 troops in to help the interim government restore order in Somalia, without proper central rule since the 1991 ouster of a dictator. "The burnt flags are a message for you before you arrive," the masked protester said. "You still have an opportunity to avoid coming. You will face explosions and death."
