 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
'Situation under control': Somali defence minister
Bujumbura (AFP) June 2, 2009 Somalia's defence minister claimed Tuesday that his forces were taking control in Mogadishu and repelling a month-old offensive by insurgents bent on toppling the transitional administration. "We presently have the situation well under control and we have enough soldiers to hold on and repel the extremist aggression on the country," Defence Minister Mohammed Abdi Gandi said at a press conference in Bujumbura. "There were violent clashes yesterday (Monday) in Mogadishu and we ousted opposition fighters from the Shebab and Hezb al-Islamiya," said Gandi, on a visit to Burundi, one of two countries contributing to the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia. The minister claimed that 14 out of 16 neighbourhoods in the seaside Somali capital were now under government control. "That means we are making progress," he said. His report could not be independently confirmed. Fighting also took place on Tuesday and killed five people, including three civilians, according to witnesses. More than 200 people have been killed and 70,000 displaced in the month-old fighting. While hardline Islamist insurgents had initially looked on the brink of ousting President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed from his last redoubt in Mogadishu, the rebellion has looked unable to make a final and decisive push. Backed by African peacekeepers securing the presidential palace, as well as the seaport and the airport, Somali government forces launched a counter-offensive almost two weeks ago and regained some ground. A lawless country of around 10 million, Somalia has had no effective central authority since former president Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991, setting off a bloody cycle of violence. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Africa News - Resources, Health, Food
Chinese Darfur envoy meets Sudan's BeshirKhartoum (AFP) June 2, 2009 China's special envoy to Darfur met Monday with Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir and pledged three million dollars in humanitarian aid for the volatile region, Sudanese officials said. Liu Guijin "greeted the president for the beginning of the talks in Doha between the JEM and the government," Sudanese foreign ministry official Ali Youssif told AFP. A new round of talks between the ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook