Thursday, April 25, 2013
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Ethiopia’s foreign ministry has denied
there are plans to immediately withdraw all troops from Somalia, despite
remarks by the Ethiopian prime minister expressing frustration with the
pace of military progress in the country.
Speaking to parliament Tuesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam
Desalegn said the African Union force in Somalia has not kept its
promise to replace Ethiopian soldiers in parts of the country under AU
control.
Ethiopian forces entered Somalia two years ago to assist the AU force,
known as AMISOM, in its fight against al-Shabab militants. The
Ethiopians have enjoyed success securing towns and cities in western
Somalia.
But Hailemariam said the failure of AMISOM to replace Ethiopian troops
influenced a decision in March to pull out of the town of Hudur, which
was then retaken by al-Shabab.
In a statement Wednesday, the foreign ministry clarified the prime
minister’s remarks, saying Ethiopia was “anxious to pull its forces out
of Somalia” as soon as the Somali army and AMISOM take over from
Ethiopian forces.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti told VOA Ethiopian forces are not planning to immediately pull out of the country.
“[The prime minister] said, Ethiopian defense force has to be
transferred to those areas where there is need for more stability. He
has never said we are going to withdraw," he said.
The prime minister noted that Ethiopia bears the cost of its military
operation in Somalia alone, as Ethiopian forces are operating
independent of AMISOM.
He said Ethiopia’s main focus should be “to accelerate our complete withdrawal towards our border.”
AMISOM spokesman Eloi Yao told VOA the peacekeeping force has not
received any formal statement from Ethiopia regarding conditions for
withdrawing forces.
He said in the event of a sudden pullback, the military commanders on
the ground would work with the Somali government to decide a way
forward.
“As you know, in military operations, plans are made and those plans
can always be adjusted according to situations," said Yao.
Hailemariam’s remarks come ahead of a Somalia conference in London next
month, aimed at coordinating development efforts for the country as it
recovers from two decades of civil war.