Russia writes off Ethiopian debt

Ethiopian officials say Russia has agreed to write off almost $5bn in debt which Addis Ababa owed to the former Soviet Union.

The agreement was reached after lengthy negotiations between the two countries.

The money makes up 80% of the total debt owed by Ethiopia to Moscow, which was incurred mainly during the seventeen-year rule of the former military regime of Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam.

The funds were used to purchase arms from the former Soviet Union.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service