African Troops Could Arrive Soon

Several unamed African countries have offered to contribute troops to a Somali peacekeeping force, the leaders of Ethiopia and Kenya have said.

In Somalia, Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi named five countries as agreeing to send troops and said he expected them to be in place this month.

Only Uganda has publicly offered to contribute to the proposed 8,000-strong peacekeeping force. Ethiopia wants to pull its soldiers out of Somalia within weeks.

The government is trying to restore order in Mogadishu

They recently helped government forces oust Islamists who controlled much of southern Somalia, including the capital, Mogadishu.

In a briefing to parliament, Mr Ghedi named the countries who had agreed to send troops as: Uganda; Nigeria; South Africa; Malawi and Senegal.

Over the weekend, the regional body, Igad, sent envoys to seven African countries, asking them to contribute to a proposed 8,000-strong peacekeeping force.