Somalia: Violence Continues As Ethiopian Troops Begin Pullout

The Ethiopian army has began withdrawing its troops from Somalia’s capital after a two-year military occupation, but the violence that triggered the invasion continues, Radio Garowe reports.More than 20 military trucks, including transport and armored vehicles, left bases in Mogadishu and headed southwards to the town of Afgoye, in neighboring Lower Shabelle region.Bereket Simon, special adviser to Ethiopia’s prime minister, told the Reuters news agency that the Ethiopian army’s withdrawal from Somalia as entered the “implementation phase.”

More Ethiopian Troops Arrive in Darfur Bolstering Peacekeeping Operation

More than 300 Ethiopian troops arrived in Darfur over the last two days to boost the strength of the joint United Nations-African Union force, known as UNAMID, deployed earlier this year in an attempt to suppress the violence and humanitarian suffering in the war-torn Sudanese region.More personnel from the Ethiopian Infantry Battalion are expected to land in El Geneina, West Darfur by the end of the week.Their principal duties will include conducting security patrols, enhancing security and fostering confidence within the local population, as well as conducting escorts for humanitarian convoys.

Youths discuss Africa’s future

African youths are gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to brainstorm and provide recommendations on how best the continent should be developed. The Danish government is providing the platform for 60 participants through its African Commission.The forum dubbed “African Youth Panel” would gather young people between the ages of 15 and 30 years old, with different professional backgrounds from all over Africa. It is expected to open on November 16-19 2008.This three-day conference would consist of intensive workshops including presentations and discussions on a variety of issues. Some of the core areas that would be discussed include climate change, hunger and poverty, agriculture, growth and employment, HIV, growth and employment and women’s economic empowerment. The outcome would be a list of recommendations to further the work of the Danish Africa Commission.

Ethiopian breaks world record

Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia has become the first man under the sun to run under two hours and four minutes on Sunday. He breaks his own world record of 2:04:26 he set in Berlin, Germany 12 months ago. The sprinter clocked two hours three minutes 59 seconds in his new record.The 35-year-old was inside the required pace from the start and at the halfway stage was already 25 seconds faster than his split time last year, the Reuters news agency said. The respected runner backed out of the Beijing Olympics last month due to pollution concerns.He beat his final challenger, James Kwambai with around six kilometres left and his victory was never in doubt. The report said “Gebrselassie’s preparation for the event was affected by a calf muscle cramp but he said the perfect weather conditions and the support of the crowd helped him make light of the problem.””Everything was perfect,” Gebrselassie, a twice Olympic 10,000 metres champion, told German TV after crossing the line on a sunny but cool Berlin morning. “The weather was perfect, the race was perfect and the crowd was perfect.”"I felt like I was running in a stadium,” he added at a later news conference. “The supporters were so good they helped me feel all the time like I was starting afresh. “And really, this was once-in-a-lifetime weather. You must remember that.”Kwambai was second in 2:05:36, with fellow Kenyan Charles Kamathi third in 2:07:48. Irina Mikitenko of Germany won the women’s race in 2:19:19.

Ethiopia gets Gold in Beijing

Ethiopia gets its first Gold medal in Beijing Olympic in 10,000 women’s run as it breaks previous record..

10,000 meter women runner and 5,000 meter World Record holder Tirunesh Dibaba broke the women Olympic Record of 10,000 meter. Tirunesh finished the 10,000 meter in 29 minutes 54.69 micro seconds. The previous Olympic 10,000 meter recorder was 30:17.49 registered in Sydney, Australia 30 September 2000 by Derartu Tulu, another Ethiopian and kin of Tirunesh.

Tirunesh was born June 1, 1985 in Arsi, Ethiopia. She is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete. She is a holder of both the outdoor and indoor 5000 meters world records. She is a member of an athletic family. Her elder sister Ejegayehu is also making her mark on the international stage and brother Dejene is marked as a future star. Their sister Genzebe won the junior race at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships. The 2000 Olympic champion Derartu Tulu is also their cousin.