sipj issued a press release on 19 september 2006 stating "strong and unequivocal" opposition to the african union peacekeeping force's presence in somalia, a force that the au deployed in response to the islamic courts union's attacks on the transitional government. sipj described the deployment as needless and reckless, suggesting that the ethiopian government used "manipulation" to control the "weak" and "subservient" transitional government.