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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| AU plea to plug Somali troop gaps | AU plea to plug Somali troop gaps |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| African Union officials in Somalia have told the BBC they will plug the gaps left by departing Ethiopian troops. | African Union officials in Somalia have told the BBC they will plug the gaps left by departing Ethiopian troops. |
| The plan comes as Uganda and Burundi - whose peacekeepers currently comprise the AU mission in Somalia - issued an urgent appeal for reinforcements. | The plan comes as Uganda and Burundi - whose peacekeepers currently comprise the AU mission in Somalia - issued an urgent appeal for reinforcements. |
| They also want their mandate beefed up so peacekeepers can use greater force when attacked by insurgents. | They also want their mandate beefed up so peacekeepers can use greater force when attacked by insurgents. |
| Uganda and Burundi gave the African Union (AU) a two-week deadline to act on their demand. | Uganda and Burundi gave the African Union (AU) a two-week deadline to act on their demand. |
| Ethiopia's military began pulling its 3,000-strong force out of Somalia last week two years after it helped the transitional government oust Islamists from the capital Mogadishu. | Ethiopia's military began pulling its 3,000-strong force out of Somalia last week two years after it helped the transitional government oust Islamists from the capital Mogadishu. |
| BBC Somali service correspondent Abdi Noor Mohammed says there are rumours the Ethiopians have been arming clan militias to take on the hardline Islamist group al-Shabab. | |
| He says the militias have managed to defeat the hardliners during several clashes in central Somalia and on the border with Ethiopia. | |
| 'Very quickly' | 'Very quickly' |
| After a meeting on Sunday in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, the Ugandan and Burundian defence ministers said the AU's force in Somalia (Amisom) needed more troops, as well as air force and marine units. | After a meeting on Sunday in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, the Ugandan and Burundian defence ministers said the AU's force in Somalia (Amisom) needed more troops, as well as air force and marine units. |
| SOMALIA'S WOES 3m need food aid - a third of the population1m displacedGovernment only controls BaidoaIslamist groups control much of southern SomaliaNo effective government since 1991Piracy on the rise US fails to break Somali IslamistsNew year heralds new Somali fears | SOMALIA'S WOES 3m need food aid - a third of the population1m displacedGovernment only controls BaidoaIslamist groups control much of southern SomaliaNo effective government since 1991Piracy on the rise US fails to break Somali IslamistsNew year heralds new Somali fears |
| Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa have not yet met their pledges to send forces. | Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa have not yet met their pledges to send forces. |
| Burundi Defence Minister Gen Germain Niyoyankana said more troops were needed "very quickly" and added: | Burundi Defence Minister Gen Germain Niyoyankana said more troops were needed "very quickly" and added: |
| "If our conditions are not met, it's normal that our troops will be withdrawn", reported AFP news agency. | "If our conditions are not met, it's normal that our troops will be withdrawn", reported AFP news agency. |
| The 3,600-strong Amisom force has faced frequent attack from Islamist insurgents in Mogadishu. | The 3,600-strong Amisom force has faced frequent attack from Islamist insurgents in Mogadishu. |
| The departure of Ethiopian troops, who were in charge of Mogadishu and surrounding areas of the capital, will leave a dangerous power vacuum, says the BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu. | The departure of Ethiopian troops, who were in charge of Mogadishu and surrounding areas of the capital, will leave a dangerous power vacuum, says the BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu. |
| He says that AU officials plan for Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers to fill that void while their appeal for reinforcements is considered. | He says that AU officials plan for Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers to fill that void while their appeal for reinforcements is considered. |
| Ethiopia's departure follows an agreement with the Somali transitional government and the more moderate wing of the Islamist-led political opposition during UN-sponsored reconciliation talks in Djibouti. | Ethiopia's departure follows an agreement with the Somali transitional government and the more moderate wing of the Islamist-led political opposition during UN-sponsored reconciliation talks in Djibouti. |
| Ethiopia was credited with saving Somalia's government from imminent collapse when it deployed its forces in late 2006. | Ethiopia was credited with saving Somalia's government from imminent collapse when it deployed its forces in late 2006. |
| But analysts say the government has not used the time to strengthen its grip on power, while the insurgency has revived in a more extreme form. | But analysts say the government has not used the time to strengthen its grip on power, while the insurgency has revived in a more extreme form. |
| Government forces only control parts of Mogadishu and the town of Baidoa. Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991. | Government forces only control parts of Mogadishu and the town of Baidoa. Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991. |