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Islamist insurgents have captured most of Somalia's central city of Baidoa - one of the last strongholds of the fragile transitional government. Officials and witnesses say Islamists have seized the parliament building in the city, some 250km (155 miles) north-west of the capital Mogadishu. Some reports say the presidential palace is also under their control. The MPs are currently meeting in neighbouring Djibouti, where they are due to elect a new president this week. There has been widespread looting in Baidoa since the last Ethiopian troops pulled out overnight. The Ethiopian troops withdrew after two years of battling Islamist insurgents. Some 16,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict and a million more have been forced from their homes. Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991, since when various militias have been battling for control. |
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