Somalia Update

July 22
Somalia: Chairperson Optimistic About Reconciliation Conference
Somalia's national reconciliation committee chairman, Ali Mahdi Mohammed, told journalists on Saturday that he was pretty much optimistic that the clan-based reconciliation congress going in the Somali capital, Mogadishu would end in success.

Shabelle
Somalia: Islamist Leader Blames Govt. of Daily Bombings
The chairman of the defeated Union of Islamic Courts, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, who is Asmara, Eritrea, accused the Somali transitional government of being responsible for the daily bombings in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

Shabelle
Somalia: Ethiopian Troops to Secure Central Part of the Country
Local administrators in Hiran province, central Somalia, and number of Ethiopian officers have had a meeting over the escalating insecurity in the region on Saturday.

Shabelle
July 21
Somalia: New Fighting Forces 10,000 to Flee
The United Nations refugee agency today reported that renewed violence has forced 10,000 people to flee Mogadishu over the last week, reversing a trend where those displaced from the conflict-torn Somali capital had been returning.

UN News
Somalia: Peace Talks to Focus On Resolving Clan Conflicts
Somalia's national reconciliation congress which resumed on Saturday concluded peacefully with hundreds of the country's clan elders gathered at the venue of the conference in north of the capital, Mogadishu.

Shabelle
Somalia: Officials to Reopen Mogadishu's Bakara Market
The business committee of Mogadishu's Bakara market and officials from Somalia's security department met in the capital on Saturday after the government troops have closed down the market for more than two weeks.

Shabelle
Somalia: Explosions Kill 2 in Mogadishu
At least two civilians have been killed and three others have been wounded after three grenade explosions targeting government soldiers based in Mogadishu's Bakara market occurred minutes of one another on Saturday.

Shabelle
Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Kill One in the Capital
One person was killed and number of other people has been wounded after Ethiopian troops opened fire at a crowd of Somalis in Yaqshid neighborhood, north of the capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday.

Shabelle
Somalia: Government Official Killed Overnight
Unknown gunmen killed the chairman of Hodan district in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, last night. The victim was in his drugstore doing his private business when unknown gunmen shot him dead.

Shabelle
Somalia: Mogadishu Under Bomb Explosions
At least three bomb blasts occurred inside and outside of Mogadishu's Bakara market where the Somali government soldiers are based. The sounds of gunshots could be heard after the blasts that rocked the neighborhoods near the market.

Shabelle
Africa: UN Body Urges End to Use of Child Soldiers in Uganda And Somalia
The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict today adopted recommendations regarding children in armed conflict in Uganda and Somalia, as well as examining recent reports by the Secretary-General on the situation in Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

UN News
Somalia: Malaria Kills Three in South
Three children died from malaria related diseases in Afgoi district, west of the capital, Mogadishu, in the past 24 hours. Our reporter, Hassan Mayow, said the children died in Awdhegle settlement where there is no formal clinic.

Shabelle
July 20
Uganda: The Good And Bad Side to Extended Somalia Mission [editorial]
The extension of the Ugandan peacekeeping mission in Somalia is both a good and bad thing. It is good to the extent that we shall be continuing in the noble duty of helping that scarred country gradually find its way.

Monitor
Somalia: Bishop Appeals to Insurgents to Give Peace Meeting a Chance
Somali insurgents attempting to disrupt a national peace conference do not have the interest of their people at heart, a Catholic bishop said.

CISA
Somalia: Somaliland Authorities Free Newspaper Reporter After Seven Days [press release]
Reporters Without Borders has hailed the 19 July 2007 release of Abdirahman Mohammed Habane of "Jamhuuriya", a daily based in Hargeisa, the capital of the breakaway state of Somaliland. He had been held since 12 July because of a controversial article about the swearing-in of a traditional leader.

This and more is from AllAfrica.com , who has a daily Somalia update