- Somali Prime Minister, Nur Hassan Hussein, has disclosed his government's readiness to engage armed opposition groups to talks as a means of nailing the ongoing conflict in the country.
"From now on we are planning to elaborate a strategy of conciliation that will be all-inclusive," Somali Premier said, disclosing that the talks would not be very far away now.
In an interview in Brussels, Hussein has rejected a proposal by an exiled Somali opposition Islamist, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed that the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops should become a precondition for talks.
Ahmed, the leader of the Islamic Courts Union, was ousted from power in 2006 after the intervention of Ethiopian forces backing the interim government of Abdullahi Yusuf. The Islamists took control of the capital Mogadishu for six months.
The former Islamist leader on Friday stressed that talks could only take place provided Ethiopian troops have withdrawn and war crimes punished.
Hussein said although one of the points to be discussed would be the Ethiopian troops, but the "first condition should be that we have to talk and agree about something."
The ousting of the Islamic regime followed bloody and destructive insurgency in Somali, forcing tens of thousands to flee the capital.
Somalia has been bereft of a proper functioning government since the country's former dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
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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