Somalia
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Somali Leaders Sign Deal for New Government Structure

Somalia's disparate leaders have agreed on the basic structure of a new parliament and government to replace the fragile transitional body that has failed to bring peace to the war-torn country.

Constant infighting, rampant corruption and bloody attacks by Islamist Shebab insurgents have undermined Somalia's unelected Transitional Federal Government (TFG), whose Western-backed mandate ends in August.

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Somalia's Islamist Rebels to Intensify Bombing Campaign

Somalia's al-Qaida-allied Shebab rebels warned Saturday they were stepping up a bombing campaign in the war-torn capital Mogadishu, a day after a car bomb at a police station wounded two.

Shebab spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab said the extremist Islamist fighters had prepared a string of suicide bombers in their battle to topple the weak Western-backed government and the African Union troops who guard it.

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1 Wounded in Mogadishu Police Building Car Bomb Blast

A car bomb exploded inside the compound of a major police building in Somalia's war-torn capital Mogadishu on Friday, wounding at least one police officer, officials said.

"A car full of explosives, which was seized by the security forces this morning, exploded -- a policeman was injured," said Abdulahi Ahmed, a Somali police official. "We are still investigating the incident."

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African Troops Attack Islamists Positions in Mogadishu

African Union-backed Somali government forces attacked Islamist Shebab rebel posts on the outskirts of the war-torn capital Mogadishu with tanks and artillery Tuesday, officials and witness said.

Burundian troops with the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) launched a pre-dawn attack against holdout positions of the al-Qaida-allied Shebab, to secure a key road leading from anarchic Mogadishu to the rebel-held town of Afgoye.

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Kenya Army Says it Has Weakened Somali Rebels

Kenya's army said Saturday that four months of military strikes on Shebab rebels in southern Somalia have weakened the Al-Qaida-linked insurgents and have disrupted their sources of revenue.

Air strikes and ground raids had cut off Shebab's trade routes and drove them from key towns where they conducted business, said military information and operations officer Colonel Cyrus Oguna.

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Suicide Car Bomb Kills 11 in Somali Capital

A suicide bomber killed at least 11 people Wednesday in the war-torn Somali capital Mogadishu when he detonated an explosive-laden vehicle near the presidential palace, officials said.

"There was a heavy explosion, a car full of explosives was detonated. At least 11 people were killed and a greater number were wounded," lawmaker Mohamed Iro said.

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U.N. Says Famine over in Somalia, but Emergency Remains

Famine conditions have ended in war-torn Somalia six months after they were declared, but the situation remains dire with nearly a third of the population needing emergency support, the U.N. said on Friday.

"The United Nations declares an end to famine conditions in Somalia," the U.N. Somalia Food Security Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and the U.S. famine warning network, known as FEWS NET, said in a statement.

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Britain Appoints First Ambassador to Somalia in 21 Years

Britain appointed Thursday its first ambassador to war-torn Somalia for 21 years, Foreign Secretary William Hague said, as he made a landmark visit to the anarchic capital Mogadishu.

"I am delighted to have made the first visit to Mogadishu by a British Foreign Secretary for over 19 years. This is a sign of Britain's commitment to the people and country of Somalia," Hague said in a statement.

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Benin’s President Elected New African Union Chairman

Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi was elected the African Union Chairman Sunday, taking over the one-year post from Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, officials said.

"I want to congratulate the new chairman of the African Union... Boni Yayi," said Obiang, the outgoing chairman, speaking after the official announcement at the AU summit meeting in the Ethiopian capital.

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Somali Envoy: 15 Dead, 40 Missing in Sinking Off Libya

At least 15 Somali migrants were killed and 40 left missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya this week, the Somali ambassador to Tripoli told AFP on Saturday.

"Fifteen bodies, including one child and 12 women, were recovered off the coast of Misrata after their boat sank," ambassador Abdelghami Wais said, adding the bodies were found Wednesday on the shore of the western port city.

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