{{Ethiopia denied Thursday that it was “shirking responsibility” by beginning to withdraw its troops from conflict-stricken Somalia.}}
Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom told the UN Security Council that other countries were informed “months” ago about the withdrawal and also complained about the lack of “burden-sharing” for the foreign force in Somalia.
Earlier Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said Ethiopia was “anxious” to pull its troops out of Somalia and urged the African Union force in the country, AMISOM, to speed up its deployment.
Ethiopian troops crossed into Somalia in November 2011 and have played a decisive role in routing Shebab extremists and maintaining control over areas clawed back from Islamist groups.
AMISOM has played a key role in propping up a transitional government that is the first serious administration in the lawless country since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
{{AFP}}
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