27 December 2008
AllAfrica

Soldiers loyal to embattled Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf will leave the capital Mogadishu as Ethiopian troops begin to withdraw, Radio Garowe reports.

A Cabinet-level meeting in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, ended Saturday with Interior Minister Abdihamid Garad Jama saying that a government delegation's recent trip to Ethiopia was successful.

"One of the reasons we went to Ethiopia was to discuss how our soldiers [from Puntland] could leave Mogadishu peacefully," the Minister said, while adding that the Puntland delegation and Ethiopian leaders "agreed" that the Puntland soldiers would leave Mogadishu as Ethiopian troops withdraw.

A Puntland government delegation visited Addis Ababa earlier this month, including Finance Minister Mohamed "Gaagaab" Ali and a number of traditional elders.

Somali President Yusuf, who hails from the Puntland region, took thousands of soldiers from Puntland to protect him in Mogadishu and work as federal troops.

28 December 2008

More than 100 people including soldiers and their families flew out of Mogadishu Sunday, as preparations begin for the expected resignation of interim Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, Radio Garowe reports.

African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers stood guard at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport, watching as the plane loaded its passengers.

A witness at the airport told Radio Garowe that there was a "loud disagreement" after extra passengers tried to board the plane.

"The plane was supposed to carry 110 people, but more than 140 boarded," the witness said, adding that the move angered the pilots, who finally agreed to 120 passengers.

Most of the passengers are members of President Yusuf's personal security force, who protected his residence at the Villa Somalia presidential compound.

The plane reportedly landed in Galkayo, in the region of Puntland, the Somali president's stronghold.

Civilians killed

Locals reported that a roadside bomb targeting AMISOM peacekeepers along the road leading to Mogadishu's airport missed its mark today, killing at least three civilian bystanders.

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AU welcomes Somali President's resignation
News - Africa news

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - The African Union (AU) has welcomed Monday's resignation of Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, saying it should allow for a faster implementation of the Djibouti peace accord on an expanded Somali government and Parliament.

The resignation of Yusuf, who was elected by parliament on 14 Oct. 2004, paves the way for the emergence of a new government in the troubled African nation.

There is no power vacuum as the Parliament Speaker, Sheikh Aden Madobe, has taken over.

MOGADISHU: Radical fighters on Monday regained control of two towns in central Somalia after two days of clashes with a rival group that left at least 20 dead, witnesses said.

The Al Shabab fighters battled the Ahle Sunna Wal-jama’ah - a moderate religious group - for control of Guriel and Dhusamareb. “The Shabab fighters completely control Guriel town after pushing out the Ahle Sunna Wal-jama’ah and other fighters,” Guriel resident Abdullahi Mahamud Yusuf said. At least five people were killed and eight wounded in Guriel on Monday in new fighting between the two sides. The Shabab also recaptured Dhusamareb, some 400 kilometres northeast of Mogadishu.

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