President Yusuf was treated for bronchitis last month

Baidoa, Somalia, January 4, 2008 – Abdillahi Yusuf, Somalia's interim President has been flown to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for treatment. The sick President had earlier collapsed on Friday morning in the Somalian city of Baidoa.

President Yusuf, 72, was reported to be in bad health condition, but Prime Minister Nur Hussein Hassan said he is in stable condition.

Yusuf was rushed to a Nairobi hospital on 4 December last year after he had suffered from bronchitis. He had gone through liver transplant 14 years ago.

President Yusuf ascended to power in 2004 after so many peace talks on the Somalian conflicts took place in the neighboring Kenya.

Due to his health condition, the Somalian leader could not honor a meeting between the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice and regional leaders in Addis Ababa.

His December hospitalization coincided with the resignation of four ministers 24 hours after their appointment.

They were Hassan Mohamed Nur, Abdikafi Hassan, Sheikh Aden Maden and Ibrahim Issac Ibrow -Ministers of National Security, Trade, Reconciliation and National Planning, respectively.

The irate ministers were angered by the "under-representation" and "penalization" of their Rahanwein clan in the new government of Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein.

They also blamed Hassan for not consulting them earlier before they were nomination, which they saw as a disrespect to the power-sharing agreement.

Since the ousting of the Islamic Courts Union from power last December by the Ethiopian-backed government troops, Mogadishu has been a centre of Islamic insurgency, resulting to loss of several lives.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since 1991.

Source: Afrol News