U.N.: Somali factions sign peace deal

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Somalia's government signed an agreement Monday with an opposition alliance calling to end violence and withdraw of Ethiopian troops, whose presence has stoked an increasingly bloody Islamic insurgency.

The deal is an important step toward peace, but it remains to be seen if it will be respected by hardline members of the opposition who have denounced those who took part in the U.N.-led talks in Djibouti.

"The primary requirement of this agreement is to ensure the cessation of all armed confrontation and a political settlement for a durable peace," said a copy of the deal obtained by The Associated Press. "Over the past 18 years, Somalia has suffered massive human losses, insecurity and vast destruction."

Al-Shabab, the military wing of Somalia's ousted Islamic movement, did not participate in the Djibouti talks. The U.S. State Department considers al-Shabab, or "The Youth," a terrorist organization.

The government's deal with the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia came after hours of rumors that the talks had collapsed over the issue of Ethiopian troops, who have been in Somalia since 2006 to help government forces deal with an Islamic insurgency. The opposition sees the Ethiopians as an occupying force in Somalia.

Late Monday, both sides agreed to "end all acts of armed confrontation" within 30 days and to act within 120 days to withdraw Ethiopian troops once a U.N. peacekeeping force is deployed.

"The deal is a splendid step toward peace," said Somali Information Minister Ahmed Abdisalam, head of the government negotiating team. "The Somalis and the international community should now work toward turning it into a reality."

Calls to the opposition alliance were not immediately returned.

The U.N. Security Council has said it would consider deploying U.N. peacekeepers to replace African Union troops if there is improved political reconciliation and security. But the AU force now on the ground in Somalia is struggling. It is authorized to have 8,000 troops but currently only has 2,600 soldiers from Uganda and Burundi.

Members of the U.N. Security Council visited Djibouti last week to encourage Somalia's government and the opposition alliance to hold direct peace talks.

The opposition had ruled out face-to-face talks unless the government sets a timetable for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops. Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, meanwhile, said the Ethiopian force would not leave until the fighting stops and a U.N. peacekeeping force is deployed. The turning point in talks Monday was not immediately clear.

Somalia has been in a state of anarchy since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other, sinking the poverty-stricken Horn of Africa nation of 7 million people into chaos.

The shaky transitional government was formed in 2004 with the help of the United Nations, but has failed to assert any real control. After Islamic militants seized control of the capital, Mogadishu, and most of southern Somalia, the government called in troops from neighboring Ethiopia in December 2006 to oust them.

A vicious insurgency started soon after, and remains a potent and disruptive force in the country and a continuing threat to Yusuf's government, which is backed by both the European Union and the United States.

The country is also facing a worsening humanitarian crisis aggravated by high global food prices and drought.

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