SOMALIA: Ethiopian troops hand over weapons recovered from Somalia Islamist movement fighters to the Government as they continue to withdraw troops.

Weapons recovered from Islamic fighters were handed over to Somalia government by Ethiopian troops as they continue to withdraw their troops. Meanwhile, Somalia's parliament elected a new speaker on Wednesday to replace one ousted over his overtures to Islamist rivals defeated by government and Ethiopian troops during a two-week war in December. Ethiopian forces who helped Somalia's interim government rout rival Islamists in a war over the New Year have withdrawn more than a third of their troops from chaotic Horn of Africa nation's and were handing over the weapons on Tuesday (January 30) they had recovered from their fallen enemies to the government troops in the city of Kismayo. "These weapons lying here were recovered by Ethiopian troops and we are handing them over to Somali forces, we are handing them over to Somali people and the Government, not a clan or specific group, they are for Somali government and its people," said Ethiopia army officer Col. Zaudo. Meanwhile, Somalia's parliament elected a new speaker on Wednesday (January 31) to replace one ousted over his overtures to Islamist rivals defeated by government and Ethiopian troops during a two-week war in December. Members of parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of Sheikh Adan Madobe who takes over from Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, voted out of office on Jan. 17. Ethiopia, which called the Islamists "terrorists", played a lead role in helping government troops oust them in a two-week war launched before Christmas. The AU has approved a nearly 8,000-strong force, but experts doubt its capacity to muster it, let alone tame a nation in anarchy since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Washington launched an air strike against what it called al Qaeda operatives among the fleeing Islamist ranks in its first publicly confirmed military action there since ending a disastrous peacekeeping mission in 1994. The Islamists and some foreign supporters have vowed to wage guerrilla war against Ethiopian troops in the country, and many Somalis suspect their militants have been behind a spate of attacks in Mogadishu. Security experts estimated before the conflict that Ethiopia had sent between 5,000 and 10,000 troops into Somalia to back forces of the weak transitional government. Without a strong military force, many residents and analysts fear the Horn of Africa country will slide back into the anarchy it has suffered for nearly 16 years. An African summit ended in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa with a proposed peacekeeping force for Somalia still lacking firm commitments for thousands of troops. The peacekeepers are needed to fill a vacuum when Ethiopian troops pull out within weeks after ousting Islamists who ran much of the Horn of Africa country for six months. Many countries are nervous about committing soldiers to one of the world's most dangerous countries.

ITN Source | January 31, 2007

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