Religion

GOVERNORS of the thirty-six states of the federation, under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors' Forum, yesterday, called on President Umaru Yar'Adua to treat kidnapping in the country the way he addressed that of the militancy in the Niger Delta.

Somalia's two main insurgent groups clashed today near the southern port of Kismayu and residents said Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam were squaring up for battles elsewhere in the Horn of Africa country.

The rebel groups fought for control of the lucrative port and main airport in southern Somalia this week.

Southern African countries have buried the hatchet in an effort to preserve the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), one of the few building blocks of regional integration. Its chiefs vehemently denied reports that Pretoria wants to pull out of the customs union.

The 44th President of the United States has a triple ancestral heritage. Obama is descended from Africans, from Muslims and from mainstream Americans. In the bid to be elected President of the US, Barack Obama emphasised his affinity with mainstream Americans, and underplayed his African and his Muslim ancestry.

Secret talks have began between Somalia's interim government and a group of Islamist hardliners, with independent sources saying Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys is now part of the ongoing process, Radio Garowe reports.

Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, Somalia's new president, was the co-leader of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) with Sheikh Aweys when the group rose to power in south-central Somalia in mid-2006.

There are indications that the frequent religious clashes in Nigeria may have become a source of concern to the United States government and major institutions working in the area of religious tolerance in the country.

An Islamist group known as Hisbal Islam (Islamic Party) said Saturday it will keep fighting against Somalia's new government led by president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and the AU forces in Mogadishu.

Four insurgent factions agreed Wednesday to merge and continue fighting against the anticipated unity government of Somalia.

Al-Shabaab Islamist insurgents have taken control of Baidoa, the seat of the transitional parliament, witnesses said on Monday.

The seizure comes after the Ethiopian troops vacated the town early on Monday.

Nirobi: In a secluded house just outside the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, a group of men and women meet at least once a week to worship in secret.

Their prayer session is simple and conducted in Somali. Elders take turns to pray or read verses from the Somali bible before a sermon is delivered.

Nigeria: The head of Nigeria's national oil company has said it paid millions of dollars to militants to protect the country's oil infrastructure.

Sudan: Sudan's president has been accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Sudan: At least 23 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in a stampede at a football stadium in Omdurman, near Sudan's capital on Sunday.

Somalia: The UNDP has pulled out its staff from Baidoa town, the HQ of Bay Region on reasons related to security Bay regional administration has commented on the matter.

Somalia: US-backed Ethiopian troops in Somalia have killed and tortured displaced Somalis living in the refugee camps of the capital, Mogadishu.