Ethiopian troops to soon leave Somalia, PM says

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said regions of Somalia currently controlled by Ethiopian forces will be handed over to troops from Burundi, Kenya, Djibouti and Rwanda. The first three countries have troops in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping force. Rwanda does not currently have troops in Somalia.

Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia at the beginning of the year. Meles said the mission has accomplished "very good results" in fighting al-Shabab militants.

He did not provide a timeline for such a withdrawal and handover.

“The aim of our involvement was to aide the (Somali) transitional government and help weaken Shabab insurgents. And it has been successful,” Meles told the country