Ethiopia says it has no reason to deploy troops

Ethiopia has denied deploying troops inside Somalia, saying it has no reason to do so as Somalia can solve its problems alone. The denial comes in the wake of allegations that Ethiopian military officers have been training militia groups in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, as well as in the Somali town of Baidoa. "Ethiopia has no reason to deploy its troops inside Somalia, as it believes that a durable peace can be achieved in that country only with the establishment of an inclusive and broad-based Somali government," Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman Dena Mufti told the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA). "The Ethiopian government strongly believes the Somali people can solve their internal problems by themselves without the intervention of a third party." The BBC earlier quoted eyewitnesses as saying some 300 Ethiopian troops had arrived in Puntland, noting that Ethiopia had been supporting Somali factions opposed to Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG). A local journalist in Puntland told IRIN that the troops, said to be in the regional capital Garowe, withdrew on Tuesday afternoon. He said they had arrived in two batches. Reports of a pullout come at a time when there has been extensive local and international media coverage of alleged Ethiopian troop movements in Somalia, and as the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) summit gets underway in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Both Somalia and Ethiopia are founding members of IGAD. "The withdrawal may have been as a result of external pressure on Ethiopia when their presence became just too public," diplomatic sources said. Western diplomats told IRIN there were Ethiopians in Somalia, but "it is not clear what they are doing". However, Dena said "some elements have been desperately attempting to make Ethiopia a scapegoat for their incompetence, and wherever there is a serious problem among some warring factions". "Those elements have another hidden political agenda behind the baseless and fictitious accusations," he added. Meanwhile, reports from Garowe say that Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf, the former leader of Puntland, is about to leave and return to Galkayo, his home area. Forces loyal to Yusuf captured Garowe last November from those of the recently-elected president of Puntland, Jama Ali Jama, amid reports that the colonel was trying to retake power in Puntland.