AL mediates between Somalia and Ethiopia

At the request of Somali leaders, the Arab League is preparing to interfere to convince Ethiopia to withdraw its forces from the southern Somali province of Gedo, where bloody confrontations recently took place between members of a Somali faction.

AL Assistant Secretary General Ahmad Bin Hali stated that the AL received an urgent message on Monday from Somali leaders Hussein Aideed, Ali Mahdi Muhammad and Omar Haji Muhammad in which they asked for "a large-scale move at the UN, the Security Council, the Organization of African Unity, and Organisation of the Islamic Conference to pressure Ethiopia to withdraw its forces immediately from Gedo.

The message cited testimony by eyewitnesses on Friday that Ethiopian troops deployed in the province of Gedo and occupied it.