Somali Interim President Enters Capital
08 January 2007
Government officials in Somalia say President Abdullahi Yusuf has entered the capital, Mogadishu, for the first time since taking office in late 2004.
Witnesses say Mr. Yusuf arrived in the city under extremely tight security Monday.
The government is still trying to assert authority in Mogadishu, which it captured from the rival Islamist movement 10 days ago, with the help of Ethiopian forces.
Unidentified gunmen attacked Ethiopian troops both Saturday and Sunday, killing at least four people, two of them civilians.
Government and Ethiopian forces continue to hunt Islamist fighters in remote parts of southern Somalia near the Kenyan border.
The Islamists have vowed to wage a guerilla war against the government and its Ethiopian backers, both of whom have appealed for international peacekeepers.
In another development, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer has wrapped up a four-nation tour aimed at bringing stability to Somalia.
In Kenya Sunday, Frazer said her trip has boosted international support for Somalia's interim government. She also said the government must be more inclusive of various clans and religious groups.
The government has struggled to win support and assert authority since being formed in Kenya in 2004. The Islamists gained control of the capital and much of southern Somalia last year until the joint government-Ethiopian offensive drove them from power.
The U.S. had expressed concern that under their control, Somalia would become a haven for terrorists.
Somalia has been mired in anarchy since warlords overthrew a dictator (Mohamed Siad Barre) in 1991.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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