 Between 31 May and 9 June 2008 , representatives of Somalia 's federal government and the moderate Alliance for the Re @-@ liberation of Somalia ( ARS ) group of Islamist rebels participated in peace talks in Djibouti brokered by the UN . The conference ended with a signed agreement calling for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops in exchange for the cessation of armed confrontation . Parliament was subsequently expanded to 550 seats to accommodate ARS members , which then elected a new president . With the help of a small team of African Union troops , the coalition government also began a counteroffensive in February 2009 to retake control of the southern half of the country . To solidify its control of southern Somalia , the TFG formed an alliance with the Islamic Courts Union , other members of the Alliance for the Re @-@ liberation of Somalia , and <unk> <unk> <unk> 'a , a moderate Sufi militia . 
