 Some 3,000 Ethiopian troops were employed in Somalia for 2 years |
The Somali government confirms Ethiopia has completed its military withdrawal from the Horn of African nation, after a two-year deployment.
"The Ethiopians have fulfilled their promise. Their last troops crossed the border this morning," government spokesman Abdi Haji Gobdon told Reuters on Monday.
The last remaining Ethiopian troops pulled out of the provincial town of Baidoa, which houses Somalia's parliament, on Sunday night and crossed the border on Monday morning, Gobdon added.
The last remaining Ethiopian troops pulled out of the provincial town of Baidoa, which houses Somalia's parliament, on Sunday night and crossed the border on Monday morning, Gobdon added.
The withdrawal of Ethiopia's roughly 3,000 troops ushers in a new era for Somalia.
Some predict the withdrawal could cause a dangerous power vacuum which could lead to more violence, while others say that it gives the nation an opportunity for peace.
Some predict the withdrawal could cause a dangerous power vacuum which could lead to more violence, while others say that it gives the nation an opportunity for peace.
The Ethiopians entered Somalia in late 2006 to support the country's fragile Transitional Federal Government (TFG) against local fighters.
The withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops is part of a power-sharing deal reached between the TFG and the main opposition coalition, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).
The two sides are to meet in Djibouti, due to insecurity at home, on Monday to push for an expansion of parliament to include opposition groups and then the election of a new president.
But Parliamentarians at the UN-hosted reconciliation process said they were likely to vote on a motion to allow more time for electing the new president.
Under the constitutional charter, a new Somali president should be chosen by parliament within 30 days of the resignation of former President Abdullahi Yusuf, who quit on Dec. 29.
The withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops is part of a power-sharing deal reached between the TFG and the main opposition coalition, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).
The two sides are to meet in Djibouti, due to insecurity at home, on Monday to push for an expansion of parliament to include opposition groups and then the election of a new president.
But Parliamentarians at the UN-hosted reconciliation process said they were likely to vote on a motion to allow more time for electing the new president.
Under the constitutional charter, a new Somali president should be chosen by parliament within 30 days of the resignation of former President Abdullahi Yusuf, who quit on Dec. 29.
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