- Somalis are rejoicing following the defeat of the radical Islamic militant group Al-Shabab after heavy fighting that killed about 30 people in the town of Guriel in Central Somalia yesterday.
The fighting in Guriel, 500 kilometers north of the capital Mogadishu, involved the hardliners group al-Shabab and a local militia, Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca, according to witnesses.
Witnesses said houses were burnt yesterday when the insurgents shelled residential areas with mortars. However, residents say the town is calm and businesses have been re-opened after yesterday’s clash.
Some witnesses of Sunday's clashes between al-Shabab and Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca say at least 20 people, mostly fighters of al-Shabab, were killed.
Local news reports said there has been a power struggle between Islamist factions since Ethiopia announced plans to withdraw its troops from Somalia. Ethiopian troops arrived in Somalia in 2006 to help the interim government oust Islamists from the capital.
Ethiopia which has begun to withdraw from Somalia, said it has done its part in ensuring stability in Somalia, claiming that international community has been aloof from Somali crisis, which gave them a challenge in battling insurgency in Somali.
Analysts have however indicated that Ethiopia's withdrawal in war torn Somalia, is likely to worsen the humanitarian situation.
Report said Al-Shabaab, which had occupied a larger part of Somalia before 2006 and opposes a peace deal with Somalia's transitional government, has been trying to take control of areas vacated by the Ethiopian troops.
About 3,400 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers from the African Union in Somalia are taking up positions vacated by the Ethiopians in an effort to stem the violence.
Somalia has been marred by constant conflict since the ouster of its former dictator Siad Barre was in the early 1990's.
Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting and hundreds of thousands have fled the capital. More than 2 million people are dependent on food aid in Somalia, and control of aid often has provoked fighting among Somalia's clan-based warlords.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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