From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Tue Sep 30 2008 - 12:47:12 EDT
Somali government to be moved to Kenya
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:45:01 GMT
Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) will reportedly be relocated to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi amid a surge in violence.
The African Union convened an urgent meeting on Tuesday and decided to relocate the 275-member Somali parliament along with President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein and the Somali cabinet, the Press TV's correspondent in Somalia reported.
This comes as violence plagues the country on a daily basis, threatening civilians and government officials alike.
It is not yet clear what prompted the decision, but there have been unconfirmed reports that Somali government officials intend to meet with opposition leaders in an attempt to establish a coalition government.
The Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic was formed in neighboring Kenya in 2004. The interim parliament was then relocated to the Somali city of Baidoa, 260 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu, on February 26, 2006.
Meanwihile heavy fighting near the Somali presidential palace on Monday night killed eight civilians and 17 soldiers. Several lawmakers have recently been killed in the ongoing violence.
Somali market blast kills 5-year-old
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:04:48 GMT
A hand grenade explosion in a market in southern Somalia has left a five-year-old boy dead and four government soldiers injured.
Armed men attacked government soldiers patrolling a market in Baidoa Town, 270 km southeast of the capital, a Press TV correspondent reported from Mogadishu.
Witnesses said a hand grenade was thrown out of a truck in the ensuing gunbattle.
The unidentified gunmen fled the scene in the confusion following the blast.
The attack came as lawmakers gathered in Baidoa, which is home to the country's parliament, for a meeting held behind closed doors.
Police official Ibdow Affey confirmed the fatality.
Ethiopian-backed Somali troops are often targeted by UIC fighters, who are waging a war against the government to regain control of Somalia, which has lacked an effective government since the 1991.
Meanwhile, thousands of civilians have born the brunt the civil war in the lawless county.
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