- Ethiopia government has rejected Tuesday reports alleging that its troops had re-entered Somalia to counter the Islamist group al-Shabaab, just a week after their full withdrawal in war torn Horn of Africa state.
Tuesdays reports quoted Somali residents saying Ethiopian troops arrived in military vehicles on Monday at a Somali Border town of Kalabeyrka, a few kilometres from the border.
The Ethiopian government described the reports as false, saying its troops are within its territory, and said it had no intention of returning to Somalia. An official said reports about Ethiopia's visibility in the country are only aimed at derailing the peace process that the country is trying to establish.
Somalia elected Sheikh Sharif Ahmed as new moderate president in Djibouti on Saturday, which was hailed as a bold step in restoring peace and order. His appointment came after the resignation of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.
However, officials in the country's capital, Addis Ababa said the country was keeping a heavy troop presence on the border in case of threats to its security after withdrawal.
Local reports said an official for the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), the movement of newly-elected Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has reported that some Ethiopian troops had crossed from the border town of Ferfer to the village of Kalabeyrka.
Ethiopian troops occupied parts of Somalia for more than two years after ousting the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from the capital Mogadishu in December 2006.
The UIC and other armed anti-government factions waged attacks against government forces and Ethiopian troops. The Ethiopian withdrawal was part of a peace deal agreed recently between the government and moderate Islamists.
Somali's radical Islamists rebel group, al-Shabab, has called on Somalis to intensify their war against AU troops, which are charged with protecting civilians. It said it will intensify its attacks if the AU troops do not leave Somalia.
The last Ethiopian troops withdrew on January 25 in a move widely welcomed by Somalis who had viewed the troops as an occupying force. However, their withdrawal has sparked fears of a security vacuum in the country.
The African Union (AU) peacekeeping force remains inside the country, consisting of Ugandan and Burundian troops.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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