MOGADISHU, Somalia Jan 25 (Garowe Online) - The Ethiopian army has pulled its remaining troops out of Somalia, as the country' s parliament prepares to elect the next president, Radio Garowe reports.

More than 30 military trucks left the Ethiopian army's major base in Baidoa, a southwestern town that serves as the parliament seat.

Ethiopian soldiers

Baidoa residents said a loud explosion was heard coming from inside Hasey factory, as Ethiopian soldiers prepared to leave, which terrified the war-weary townspeople.

The army trucks reportedly headed towards the Ethiopian border town of Dolow, finalizing the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somalia after a disastrous two-year military intervention.

Baidoa government officials confidentially told Radio Garowe that African Union peacekeepers are expected to deploy in Baidoa "within days."

A suspected suicide bomber targeting AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu killed upwards of 13 civilians yesterday.

AU Commission chair Jean Ping condemned the attack, while urging Somalis to engage in dialogue and to "bring to a definite end" the civil war that has plagued the Horn of Africa country for 18 years.

Expanded parliament

The Somali parliament opened an extraordinary session in the neighboring Republic of Djibouti, where the country's leaders and a key opposition figure gave speeches.

Parliament Speaker Sheikh Adan "Madobe" Mohamed, who is also the acting president, opened the session by informing lawmakers to debate two important motions.

The Somali parliament is expected to vote on expanding parliament seats to 550 MPs, which will include representatives from the Islamist-dominated opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).

Another motion is expected to delay the date for the presidential election until mid-February, when the 550-seat parliament will elect a president on the road to creating a government of national unity.

Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein warned the MPs against divisions that could hinder the UN-brokered Djibouti Agreement.

Ali Abdi Farah, Djibouti's information minister, encouraged the Somali MPs to create an inclusive government that can restore national order.

Islamist for president

Sheikh Sharif

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who came to fame in 2006 as leader of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), has been nominated as the sole candidate running for president by the ARS-Djibouti faction.

"This is not the time for power struggles, but the time to save the Somali nation and its people that suffered 20 years of war," said Sheikh Sharif, who is also chairman the ARS-Djibouti group.

He praised the Djiboutian government and international efforts to bring together Somali factions, while calling on all groups to pursue a peaceful resolution.

Sheikh Sharif joins a growing list of Somali presidential candidates, including three former Prime Ministers and two notorious ex-warlords.

If elected, he will become Somalia's first president who is a well-known leader of the homegrown Islamist movement.

A new government for Somalia will face armed rebellion from Islamist hardliners, including Al Shabaab and the Eritrea-based ARS faction led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.

Source: Garowe Online