By Kenneth Oduor

NAIROBI, KENYA, 9 March 2007 - Somali’s Transitional Government will move its headquarters to Mogadishu once the African Union peacekeeping force is deployed into the lawless country.

The AU force whose first contingent from Uganda started arriving in Somali this week, will guard government officials, buildings and train the Somali army.

Yesterday the Somali Ambassador to Kenya, Mr. Mohamed Ali Nor, said the TFG, under the leadership of President Abdillahi Yusuf based in Baidoa, was consolidating its hold on all parts of the Horn of Africa country.

“The government is planning to shift to Mogadishu immediately after the deployment of the AU peacekeeping force in Somali. This would enable it to serve its people more efficiently and get closer o them,” he said at the Embassy in Nairobi. He said President Yusuf, the Prime Minister Mohamed Ghedi and the speaker of the parliament were living in Mogadishu.

Mr. Nor was speaking a day after 400 Ugandan troops, who were part of the larger 8,000 strong force, arrived in Mogadishu. Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, and South Africa have pledged to send their share 0f troops to Somali to take over from Ethiopian soldiers protecting the Transitional government officials.

The Ugandan contingent was however received by a blast of gunfire.

The Ambassador attributed the blasts to the remnants of the Islamic Union Court forces uprooted by the Ethiopian forces early this year.

“A majority of people have welcomed the arrivals of the troops in their quest to ensure order is restored in Somali. The blasts could have been the works of the remnants of the Islamic Courts militia who don’t want peace to prevail. Fortunately, they were dismantled”, he said.

The Ethiopian forces were provided support by America in their war against the ICU militia accused of providing sanctuary to al Qaeda fighters.

Dozens of ICU are being held by the Ethiopian forces after being captured and are being detained as prisoners of war.

The envoy said the fighters comprised of nationals of different countries and the TFG was in contact with their embassies to seek ways of repatriating them. He said the Transitional Government will respect international treaties regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.

“The TFG of the Somali republic will respect and uphold the rule of law and in due process, all international treaties signed by the Somali concerning the prisoners of war and the arrest of militants’ foreign fighters suspected of terrorism in Somali”, he said

Source: The Sub-Saharan Informer