Ethiopia confirms troop withdrawal from Somalia

Ethiopian troops on Tuesday began to withdraw from Somalia, according to the country's foreign ministry.

"The commencement of the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops is not only in line with the mandate of the legislative body of the country but also in accord with what should be viewed as responsible and proper," said a press statement from the ministry.

The commencement of the first phase of the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia has been made possible by the completion of their mission with "resounding success" in collaboration with the forces of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), said the statement.

The statement said the commencement of the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops is taking place under conditions in Somalia " where most of the security challenges have been addressed and are contained."

"The Ethiopian troops have done their level best to enhance the capacity of the TFG troops and security," it added.

The statement said although more work is needed in this area, it is Ethiopia's conviction that what has been carried out already is "sufficient to warrant the beginning of the Ethiopian troop withdrawal."

"No less significant has been the disarming of the warlords," it said, adding that the disarmament program has proceeded successfully, "thus removing one of the major sources of insecurity in Mogadishu and a few other places."

The statement said it is also Ethiopia's conviction that there is an excellent prospect that the African stabilization force would be deployed very soon.

"Ethiopia is very much encouraged, in this regard, by the decision on Dec. 19, 2006 of the AU Peace and Security Council, authorizing the deployment of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM)," it said.

"It should also be noted that the Security Council of the United Nations has also adopted Resolution 1725, authorizing the deployment of an African force in Somalia."

The Ethiopian troops went into Somalia with a clear mandate from the Ethiopian legislative body, the parliament, the statement said.

The AMISOM is to take over from the Ethiopian forces, which were sent to Somalia last month to drive out the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). The UIC had taken control of much of central and southern Somalia from June to December last year, before being routed from the capital Mogadishu and driven south.

So far, only Uganda and Malawi has pledged to contribute to the AU force. Other countries such as Tanzania, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa are considering possible contributions.