Somalia

Report: Two foreign aid workers released in Somalia

Report: Two foreign aid workers released in SomaliaNairobi/Mogadishu - Two European aid workers employed by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) who were kidnapped in Somalia over a week ago have been released, reports said Tuesday. The pair - a Dutch nurse and a Belgian doctor - were taken nine days ago on the way to Hudur, the capital of the Bakol region in south-west Somalia.

The group that took them demanded a 4-million-dollar ransom, but Islamist militant group al-Shabaab said no such ransom was paid.

Seven killed in attack on Somali parliament

Seven killed in attack on Somali parliamentNairobi/Mogadishu - At least seven persons were killed when armed militias attacked the Somalian parliament building on Saturday, the radio broadcaster Radion Garowe reported Sunday. At least three mortars struck the building in an attack coming shortly after deputies had met to debate the government's new budget proposals, the radio said.

Parliamentary speaker Aden Madobe said no deputies were injured, but among those killed was a security official. Other mortars struck nearby apartment buildings and a student dormitory, killing a number of pupils. About 15 people were wounded, the report said.

Somalia opposition leader calls on AU peacekeepers to leave

Somalia opposition leader calls on AU peacekeepers to leaveNairobi  - A prominent Islamist opposition leader Friday called on African Union peacekeepers to leave Somalia before he would consider joining a coalition government.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys returned to Somalia on Thursday after two years in exile, raising hopes the conflict-hit African nation's new government could succeed in restoring a semblance of order.

He returned home as donors pledged 213 million dollars to support the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia and boost the police force and judiciary.

Prominent Islamist returns to Somalia after two-year exile

Prominent Islamist returns to Somalia after two-year exileNairobi - A prominent Islamist opposition leader returned to Somalia on Thursday after two years in exile, raising hopes that the conflict-hit African nation's new government could succeed in restoring a semblance of order.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys flew into Mogadishu with little fanfare as top officials, including President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, attended a conference in Brussels.

Donors gather in Brussels to pledge funds for Somalia security

SomaliaBrussels - Politicians and donors from around the world gathered in Brussels on Thursday for a conference aimed at raising funds to boost security in Somalia and crack down on the epidemic of piracy in the country's waters.

The Horn of Africa country is widely-regarded as a "failed state", and one of the most dangerous places on earth, with warring militias exerting more power than central government.

UN tribunal offers to hear Somali piracy cases

United NationsHamburg  - A United Nations tribunal has offered to hear cases involving Somali pirates, or to assist other courts in interpreting laws that apply on the high seas, a German newspaper reported Wednesday.

On its website, Die Welt quoted Jose Luis Jesus, president of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, saying his court in the German city of Hamburg was available to hear piracy cases.

"Piracy is dealt with in articles 100 to 107 of the UN Convention on Law of the Sea," he said. "That is why the tribunal is willing to try every case of piracy which the states desire it to hear."

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