Rival factions sign peace deal

Somalia’s government signed an agreement with an opposition alliance calling for an end to violence and the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops, whose presence has stoked an increasingly bloody Islamic insurgency.

Under the Somali government’s deal with the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, both sides agreed to “end all acts of armed confrontation” within 30 days and to act within 120 days to remove Ethiopian troops once U.N. peacekeepers deploy.

The U.N. Security Council has said it would consider deploying U.N. peacekeepers to replace African Union troops if there is improved political reconciliation and security.