The Ethiopian government says it will pull its troops out of Somalia by the end of the year. It's been about two years after they invaded their neighbor in the hopes of putting down a revolt by Islamic fighters...and the Ethiopians want to go home.
Unfortunately, the Ethiopians have not been able to stop the radical Muslim fighters called "Al-Shabaab" from taking over parts of the country bit by bit. It's like death by 10,000 paper cuts. Many small advances will succeed in killing any hopes of putting down the rebellion. There are still many foreign fighters in Somalia, as well.
A group of African Union troops was supposed to take over security after the Ethiopians, but it seems there are few countries willing to fulfill their promises to send their countrymen to face a guerrilla war.
The London Telegraph reports there's little hope of seeing United Nations peacekeeping troops replace the Ethiopians, either. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it best...
"If there is no peace to keep, peacekeeping operations are not supposed to be there."
Find out more, by reading this article. You can also review some of my previous posts about Somalia...
Somali Pirates Net Big Oil
Somalia: More than a Shot Across the Bow
Al-Qaeda in Somalia No Surprise
What do you think about the Ethiopians pulling out of Somalia? E-mail me your thoughts.