Written question asked by David Drew (Labour) on Wednesday, 30 April 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 May 2008. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Thursday, 13 November 2008 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Somalia: Ethiopia

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on Somalia of the continuing Ethiopian presence in that country.

Answer: Ethiopia intervened in Somalia, at the invitation of the Transitional Federal Government, in December 2006, to counter the perceived threat from increasing militancy within the Islamic courts. The military defeat of the Islamic courts led to the establishment of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia in Asmara by some the political leaders of the Islamic courts. Its more militant elements have since engaged in an insurgency against the Ethiopian forces and the Transitional Federal Government.Following UN brokered talks in Djibouti beginning in May 2008, the Transitional Federal Government and the majority element of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia signed an agreement on the cessation of armed confrontation on 19 August 2008. On 26 October, the parties to the Djibouti Agreement held further talks, which agreed the date for the cessation of armed confrontation to begin on 5 November 2008. They also set in motion the requirement for Ethiopia to withdraw its troops within 120 days.The Government support the Djibouti Agreement as the first opportunity for many years for Somalis to bring lasting stability to their country.

Secondary information