Ethiopian troops could extend Somalia stint

Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, which had announced last month it would pull its troops out of Somalia by the end of the year, said on Saturday it could extend its deployment by “a few days”.

The announcement of Ethiopia’s hasty withdrawal had prompted panic among the African Union mission in Somalia (Amisom), whose peacekeepers are to take over security duties but needed more preparation time.

“Ethiopia accepted it had a moral obligation to Amisom and it would do whatever necessary to see that its withdrawal did not harm Amisom,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“This did not imply any delay in withdrawal but might allow for some flexibility in terms of a few days, if necessary, but this would be for Amisom to assess,” the statement added.—AFP