- Ethiopian troops to pull out of Somalia by early 2009: UN

Ethiopian troops to pull out of Somalia by early 2009: UN

AFP - October 26, 2008

Ethiopian troops are to pull out of Somalia by early next year under a deal signed Sunday in Djibouti by the Somali government and the Islamist opposition, a UN spokeswoman said here.

The accord was signed by the government and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) at UN-sponsored talks in Djibouti, said Susannah Price, spokeswoman for the top UN envoy to Somalia.

Both sides agreed that Ethiopian troops would initially pull out of areas in Mogadishu and the central town of Beledweyne on November 21, leaving them under the control of African Union troops in Somalia (AMISOM).

The agreement said that "the second phase of Ethiopian troop withdrawal should be completed within 120 days," though Price was unable to say when exactly the 120-day countdown would begin.

Sunday's agreement resurrected a June 9 ceasefire deal agreed between the government and ARS, an opposition umbrella group dominated by Islamists and based in the Eritrean capital of Asmara.

Its implementation had been delayed after fighting flared up across the Horn of Africa nation. Read More.

Related News: Somali factions sign accord to implement ceasefire (AFP - 10/26/08)