Ethiopia completes Somali pullout
Ethiopia completes the withdrawal of its troops from Somalia.
Some observers fear the power vacuum could herald more fighting while others say it will provide the nation of nine million people an opportunity for peace and usher in a new era for the country.
Power vacuum
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| Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991 [AFP] |
Ethiopians were ordered to force opposition fighters out of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, at the request of Somalia’s UN-backed government in 2006.
But the troops faced several attacks by al-Shabab, the former military wing of the deposed Islamic Courts Union (ICU) that ruled Somalia before the Ethiopian-led invasion in 2007.
Power-sharing talks have been continuing in Djibouti between the government and other groups including the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).
They are trying to agree on the formation of an expanded parliament – from 275 seats to 550 – to include the opposition, and how to select a new president.
Somali legislators are expected to elect a new president on Monday following the resignation last month of Abdullahi Yusuf as president.
Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991.