THIS IS SO COOL!!!!!!!!!

Okay, we knew this was going on. Actually, we flew on the plane with these guys from Addis Ababa to Djibouti (we knew something was big when we got off the plane there tv cameras and MANY official lookin people on the ground glad-handing them as they got off the plane). So today, we were at the hotel where these guys we working out these issues. While Kathee was taking her cappicino, Rachel her hot chocolate, and me my Peach Ice Tea, these men were working out the peace deal in the same hotel. How cool!!!

Somalia: Govt, Opposition Alliance Finalize Ceasefire Agreement
26 October 2008
Posted to the web 27 October 2008

Djibouti

Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the main opposition group, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), finalized a peace agreement Sunday after formally signing a ceasefire deal that called for the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces.

In a ceremony attended by international observers, including UN Special Envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, TFG and ARS delegation leaders signed the comprehensive peace pact in the face of ongoing armed hostilities in many parts of Somalia.


The agreement called on "supporters of the two parties and the Somali population to adhere and support this cessation of armed confrontation for the interest of Somalia."

An official ceasefire will formally go into effect on November 5, 2008, and Ethiopian troops will begin withdrawing from different parts of Somalia, starting on November 21, 2008, the agreement read.

The Ethiopian army pullout will be centered on Mogadishu and Beletwein, with the army relocating from bases such as Mogadishu Stadium, the ex-pasta factory and the former headquarters of the Ministry of Defense.

The second phase of an Ethiopian withdrawal will last for 120 days, the signed document read.

The agreement indicated that a joint TFG-ARS security force will be promptly established to work with African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu to maintain order, following the eventual withdrawal Ethiopian troops.

Somali Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Abdisalam, who led the government delegation at the peace talks, pledged that the government will implement its responsibilities under the ceasefire deal.

ARS Chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who is also executive head of the Islamic Courts movement, welcomed the agreement and urged insurgent fighters to "stop the bullets" since the Ethiopian army will soon begin to withdraw from Somali soil.

The historic peace agreement coincides with ongoing violence in many parts of Somalia, including Mogadishu and Baidoa.

Relevant Links

East Africa
Conflict, Peace and Security
International Organizations and Africa
Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution
Somalia



In September, Ethiopian troops withdrew from the central town of Beletwein, which is now under the control of Islamic Courts fighters.