Capital

Zewditu Hospital closed

By Groum Abate

Eco-friendly vehicle coming soon

By Andualem Sisay

Doctors finally get better allowances

By Groum Abate

Ethiopian leases two B767 Jets for Millennium

By Andualem Sisay

World Bank: Land policy is causing tenurial insecurity
‘Fears over loss of land rights has adverse effects on investment and structural change’

By Andualem Sisay

Overchargers, hoarders be warned: Girma Birru

By Groum Abate

Germany calling to fight HIV/AIDS

By Tsion Aklilu

50 years of European integration

May 9th marked the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the creation of what has been gradually developed into the European Union. Today, 27 nations in Europe are members of a Union that has launched its own currency, free flow of trade and absence of border controls. But what is the European Union, why was it created, and where is it going?

By Tormod Nuland
for capital

In 1945, Europe was a war-torn continent, looking for a peaceful future after a 30 year period in which two world wars had started as a result of conflicts between European countries. France and Britain on one side, Germany on the other.Adding to the feeling of insecurity was the emerging Cold War, with a Europe divided between East and West, a split Germany, and a growing polarization between superpowers the United States and the Soviet Union.

Ethiopia: among worse places for moms

By Andualem Sisay

Outgoing Foreign currency cap rises

By our staff reporter

Somalia
Uncovering face veils

Zewditu Hospital closed

By Groum Abate

Empress Zewditu Hospital, which was built during the first years of Emperor Haile Silassie, has been shut down after serious leakage was found in the building.
The hospital, which was first built by Swedish missionaries in the compound of the present National Palace, moved out to its current location behind the palace after constructing better facilities.
Doctor Tizeta, medical director of Zewditu Hospital told Capital that the hospital suspended admitting patients as of Thursday May, 10, and would let go remaining patients in its ward after seven days of treatment.
She said that the emergency and maternity wards would resume their operations but other departments suspended their operation due to the leaks that occurred in some parts of the building.
Sources told Capital that there are plans to move the patients to Menilik and Yekatit 12 hospitals that are also administered by the Addis Ababa Health Bureau.
Both Menilik and Yekatit 12 are not functioning to their full capacity because of lack of general practitioners.
The plan to move the patients to the two hospitals has not been yet approved but if so the patients could move to the two hospitals by next week.
The medical director of Zewditu Hospital declined to explain further about the reason why the hospital is closed.
Currently there are five major hospitals administered by the city namely Empress Zewditu Memorial, Gandhi, Ras Desta Hospital, Menelik, and Yekatit 12 hospitals.

Eco-friendly vehicle coming soon

By Andualem Sisay

Holland Car Company told Capital that it is planning to assemble a new car that uses autogas, sometimes called Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), instead of benzene.
“When we compare cars that use LPG with those that use petrol it reduces the air-pollution caused by benzene cars to about 75 per cent,” says Tadesse Tessema, Operations manager of Holland Car plc.
“In the context of the current price in Europe’s, LPG is 300 per cent cheaper than the price of benzene while LPG consumption of a car increases only 10 per cent. That means when one buys one liter of benzene for six birr and drives 10 kms, another person who buys one liter of LPG with two birr can drive nine kms. That is with 10 per cent consumption increase and with six birr of LPG he/she can drive 27 kms,” he says.
In some countries, LPG has been used since the 1940s as an alternative fuel for spark ignition engines. More recently, it has also been used in diesel engines. LPG is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles, and increasingly replacing chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant to reduce damage to the ozone layers.
Recently, in Europe and other countries governments and environmentalists encourage the use of LPG for cars next to solar instead of benzene and other oils that cause more damage to the environment. LPG is manufactured during the refining of crude oil, or extracted from oil or gas streams as they emerge from the ground
LPG is synthesized by refining petroleum and natural gas. It was first produced in 1910 by Dr. Walter Snelling, and the first commercial products appeared in 1912. In the United States, it currently provides about 3% of the energy consumed.
Currently, Holland Car Company is assembling one model, DOCC (Dutch Overseas Car Company). This vehicle has been built since the seventies and in the last years by Tofas, a Turkish automotive producer. The company is assembling cars in Ethiopia for both local distribution and export.
Holland Car parts from Tofas to ship to Djibouti and thereafter to Modjo by road-transport. Holland Car PLC was established in 2005 and is a joint equal shares venture between the Dutch company Trento Engineering BV in Sittard and Ethiopian company Ethio-Holland plc.
This cooperation combines the expertise of production equipment and processes (Trento) and the knowledge of the local market (Ethio-Holland). Holland Car is located in Modjo (production) and in Addis Ababa (sales and after sales service). The production-site of 20.000 square meters is situated in Modjo, about 65 km south of Addis Ababa.

Doctors finally get better allowances

By Groum Abate

Medical doctors that work in the five Addis Ababa City hospitals finally managed to secure house allowance and additional benefits from the city as of next week.
Samson Tekeste, Health Service Team Leader with the Addis Ababa Health Bureau told Capital that all medical personnel would get a 350 birr house provision allowance and other benefits are doubled.
According to the team leader the doctors would get their back pay starting from December 10.
The allowance for the night shift has also been doubled for medical personnel.
Doctors around the country have been in direct negotiations with relevant officials of the government to get benefits such as house provision allowance and untaxed professional benefits from the Ministry of Health.
Young doctors, who are due to graduate this year have been engaged in talks with Minister of Health, Dr. Tewodros Adhanom and Minister of Capacity Building, Tefera Walewa for the last couple of months, on issues relating to a raise in salary as well as getting their credentials at hand upon graduation. The government retains their degree even after graduation unless they complete the required social service in the country by working under the Ministry of Health.
According to Samson, the city has not raised their salaries but managed to increase their allowance because only the federal government could increase salaries.
Gandhi, Empress Zewditu, Ras Desta, Menilik, and Yekatit 12 hospitals are administered by the Addis Ababa Health Bureau.
According to official data, Ethiopia trained 2,491 general practitioners between 1988 and 2001, but in recent year’s, one-third have already left the country seeking better employment opportunities in North America, Europe and South Africa.
The country also lingers at
the bottom in world rankings of health professional ratios as Ethiopia can only boast one doctor for every 34,000 people and one nurse for every 4,900 people.
A young doctor with a masters in medicine, working at the Addis Ababa Black Lion Hospital complained that Cuban and Russian doctors are paid 15 times more than her Ethiopian colleagues.
“It is hard to blame a trained and educated person for leaving the country because of the many obstacles in the path to success,” she complained. “I earn a monthly salary of 1,300 birr and I believe this is very low considering the sacrifices I made while attending my medical studies and the day to day intensive work involved.”
According to a recent international study, there are more Ethiopian doctors in Washington DC than in the whole of Ethiopia. Some of the compelling factors for the brain drain is poor working conditions, limited career and educational opportunities, low pay and economic instability.

Ethiopian leases two B767 Jets for Millennium

By Andualem Sisay

Ethiopian Airlines has leased two B767 airliners jet to increase its capacity of transporting travelers to Ethiopia for the one and half year celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium that will begins this June.
This was disclosed indicated by the Tourism Newspaper, prepared by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and distributed at the 32nd Congress of African Travel Associations, here in Addis from May 6-11, 2007.
Though the number of Ethiopian diaspora and their relatives registered to come to Ethiopia for the celebration are not yet identified, the Ethiopian Millennium Festival Council is expecting the number to reach up to 750,000.
In addition, Ethiopian will also increase the number frequency of its international flights. It is to increase its four times weekly flight to the USA to six, from five to seven flights to Rome, from five times to six to London, from 11 flights to 14 to Dubai, from ten to 14 to Lagos and from five flight to India to seven a week.
The airline is also planning to use its new flight to Bahrain for transporting visitors from Australia. In those countries where the Ethiopian Airlines doesn’t fly to, it is planning to engage other airlines to fly to Ethiopia using the interline agreements.
Regarding internal flights, the airline is planning to replace the previously used Fokker 50 by jet airplanes. With regard to promoting Ethiopia, last month the airline sponsored some 14 journalists from Belgium to visit historical places around the country.
Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar, which is seven years and eight months behind the Gregorian calendar. The government is using the Millennium Celebration as an opportunity and moment of renaissance for Ethiopians both inside and out to change the negative image of the country by resolving or otherwise putting aside their political and ideological differences.
It is with this intention that other African countries and countries like India are joining the celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium as an African Millennium.
India has recently announced that it will join the celebration and will by then introduce Ethiopian cinemas in six major cities of India as part of strengthening bilateral relationship. India in return, during the celebration will also bring Indian music and dance crews to Ethiopia.

World Bank: Land policy is causing tenurial insecurity
‘Fears over loss of land rights has adverse effects on investment and structural change’

By Andualem Sisay

Engineering Capacity Building Program (ECBP), in collaboration with Trade and Industry of Awassa, launched entitled ‘best product in the Southern region competition’ last week.
It is an exhibition which is a part of the marketing strategy for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), taken up by the Bureau of Trade and Industry in the Southern Nations and Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS). The competition is taking place in 44 Kebeles and 22 reformed cities of the region.
The final competition will be held in the regional capital Awassa on June 1-3, 2007. The three best contestants will get a ticket to Germany and will participate in the world’s biggest trade fair in October to promote regional products.
“The best product exhibition will throw a light on the Southern region, which is one of the most beautiful areas in Ethiopia having the special feature of 56 nationalities,” said Joern Bernhardt, the Regional Program Coordinator of (ECBP), on a phone interview with capital.
“The idea is to invite planners and business people who search for opportunities or basic information about the development in the south so far. Planners have the opportunity to come up with ideas of how to promote technical assistance for MSE regarding standards, packaging, value chain development and potential analysis.”
The competition will take place in four sectors: wood and metal work, textiles, agro-processing and construction. In order to facilitate the market assets of the Southern region, the project is under implementation in collaboration with German Chamber, Awassa Chamber and German Marketing Institution for Agro-products.
The region plans to establish the Southern Ethiopian Marketing Agency, which will focus on information about regional products that will focus on quality and system development of promoting regional products with in the region, national boundaries and international level.

Overchargers, hoarders be warned: Girma Birru

By Groum Abate

Trade and Industry Minister Girma Birru, said the Council of Ministers has approved the measures to be taken on illegal traders after considering the issue following an intensive discussion.
Cancellation of trade licenses, closing down business centers and bringing before the court of justice are some of the measures to be taken on businesspersons who are found engaged in such illegal businesses.
Girma said the government would take measures on illegal traders to prevent overcharging on basic commodities.
In a news conference he gave on Friday, Girma said businesspersons engaged in trade of basic commodities and services have been challenging the purchasing power of consumers.
The businesspersons have been hoarding certain agricultural and industrial products with an intention of raising prices following the recurrence of scarcity in order to amass a fortune, he said.
Such practice has further aggravated the problem of the rising cost of living, Girma added.
The Minister said the hoarding of goods had also impacted the quality of agricultural produce in particular.
He said the government believes that taking measures on such businesspersons was appropriate and legitimate to help reduce the burden on consumers.
The recent introduction of surtax on
imported products has made a significant increase on prices, some consumers said.
The 10% surtax imposed to subsidize the government’s plan to distribute wheat to the public was put into affect last week.
According to the list of goods for the regulation to impose the surtax, soil fertilizers, oil and oil products, metallurgical lubricants, freight and public transport trucks, planes, communication and space satellites and spare parts of satellites and investment machineries are not included in the newly introduced surtax.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development announced it will impose 10% surtax on some import items for an unlimited period, with a view to creating the financial capacity needed to address the price hike and rising cost of living being observed in rural areas.
The surtax went into effect as of Wednesday April 11, 2007.

Germany calling to fight HIV/AIDS

By Tsion Aklilu

The German presidency of the G8 has prepared a proposal on global fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, which will be presented on the G8 summit at Heiligendamm next month said German Ambassador to Ethiopia, Dr. Claas Dieter Knoop, said on the inauguration of the ‘Fight Aids together with OSSA’ documentary. He said, “For the G8 summit we will propose to decide on universal access to prevention, treatment, and care, to stop HIV growth until 2015, and to develop health systems to secure poverty reduction and sustainable development.”
More than 40 mil people living in the Sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV. Youngsters are the prime victims Research shows that Gross National Income of African countries will drop by more than 20% until 2020. The film directed by Christine Mansfeld shows these threatening facts and the activity of OSSA (Organization for Social Service for AIDS).
Christine said on the inauguration of the 15 min. documentary film, “Producing films like this helps in creating recognition and understanding in the urban areas and also to provoke the youth to discuss the issue.” According to her, the film documentation started in 2006.
Chairperson of OSSA, Shimeles Adugia said that HIV/AIDS is a threat to the nation, “It is a challenge for all of us. We need to work with passion in preventing this serious disease.”
A discussion on the future perspective of the fight against HIV/AIDS followed the documentary film. On the discussion, doctors and experts shared their knowledge about the disease and its consequence in countries like Ethiopia. Ethiopia has started to provide ART free of charge since September of 2005.
OSSA was established by religious and non-governmental groups in 1997. The Ambassador said in his speech that Germany is one of the countries who recently donated three mil Euros for prevention action. In addition, he said the vision to stop HIV/AIDS can come true with Political actions, financial backing, and dedication of individuals and organization to work in harmony.

50 years of European integration

By Tormod Nuland
for capital

So, what to do to create peace between former foes?

The French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Robert Schuman presented a proposal on the creation of an organised Europe, indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations on May 9th 1950. Through uniting six countries economically and politically with emphasis on important goods such as coal and steel, there was a chance of reaching lasting peace-especially since Schumanns speach emphasized a cooperation between what had been the main enemies; Germany and France.In addition to these countries, Belgium, Italy, Luxemburg and the Netherlands joined in, and the Union of coal and steel was formally ratified in 1952.. Later in the 1950`s, as the cold war grew even colder, this cooperation was strengthened even further, into the Treaty of Rome in 1957, thus creating the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as "Common market".
Meanwhile, there was another "competing" organization in Europe, the EFTA, (European Free Trade Association). This was a cooperation initiated by Great Britain in 1960, as an alternative to the Union of Coal and Steel. But Great Britain had a desire to join the EEC, they expressed their desire to join in 1961, but this was vetoed by France. But within the EEC, cooperation was strengthened even more throughout the 60`s, theØ countries stopped charging custom duties when they traded with each other. They also agreed on joint control over food production, to ensure sufficient supplies. This lead to surplus agricultural produce for the members states.
The 1970`was indeed a decade of expansion for the EEC. In 1973, Ireland, Denmark and at long last Great Britain joined the community. Thus, the number of member states was raised from six to nine. The decade also saw the start of money transfers into the poorer areas of the member states, to develop infrastructure and jobs. There was also a European Parliament, and in 1979, Europeans could for the first time elect is representatives directly.
New members joined in the 1980`s, Greece in 1981 as the 10th member, followed by Spain and Portugal five years later. In the previous decade, these countries had been in the hands of authoritarian leaders, particulary Spain and Portugal were in the hands of regimes that dated back to pre World-War II. But the 80`s saw their full integration. All in all, the penultimate decade of the last Millenium saw great changes on the continent, the Cold War with its division of Europe came to an end, most significantly shown by the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
ØIn 1987 the Single European Act was signed. The treaty provided the basis for a vast six-year programme aimed at sorting out the problems with the free-flow of trade across EU borders thus creating the ‘Single Market’.
ØWith the collapse of communism across central and eastern Europe, Europeans became closer neighbours. In 1993 the Single Market was completed with the the 'four freedoms' of: movement of goods, services, people and money. The 1990s was also the decade of two treaties, the ‘Maastricht’ Treaty on European Union in 1993 and the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1999. People in Europe were concerned about how to protect the environment and also how Europeans could act together in terms of security and defence matters. In 1995 the EU gained three more new members, Austria, Finland and Sweden. A small village in Luxembourg gave its name to the ‘Schengen’ agreements that gradually allowed people to travel without having their passports checked at the borders. Millions of young people sstarted to study in other countries with EU support.
ØAs for beyond 2000 the Euro became the new currency for many Europeans. EU countries began to work much more closely together to fight crime. The political divisions between east and west Europe were finally declared healed when no fewer than 10 new countries join the EU in 2004. Many people think that it is time for Europe to have a constitution but what sort of constitution is by no means easy to agree, so the debate on the future of Europe rages on.
Still countries yearn to join the Eropean Union.But throughout its existence, one country has turned down treaties with the Union twice through referendums. Norway, a country with a population of 4,5 million people located in Scandinavia, Northern Europe, had the chance to join in 1972 and 1994. Both times, after fierce debates, the
population decided not to follow their neighbouring countries of Denmark, Sweden and Finland into the EU. Norway is joined by Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein as "nay-sayers", not being members of the Union, yet cooperating economically and politically. Being thriving countries with economic growth, they often pick and choose the EU-agreements they would like to sign up for.
Today, the EU also has a military force deployed in Kosovo, one of the war-torn provinces of the former Yugoslavia. The EUFOR has its presence there to secure peace. In 2006, EUFOR also had a temporary mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For Ethiopia, the European Union is an important partner in development and humanitarian aid,according to figures from 2006, the EU earmarked 500 million Euros for a number of development activities between 2002 and 2007.
Fact-box:
The European Union is an economic and political cooperation between 27 democratic countries in Europe.
The overall goals are to enhance peace, welfare and freedom in a just and secure world.
13 of the 15 original member countries use Euro as currency. The ones who do not are Denmark, the UK and Sweden.
The total population of 493 million people makes the European Union the worlds biggest common market.
(Sources: europa.org/ the eu at a glance.
Wikipedia.org/no.
Peoples daily online)

Ethiopia: among worse places for moms

By Andualem Sisay

Ethiopia is one of the worst places a mother could be, State of the World's Mothers report issued by Save the Children Alliance announced.
According to the report, a reduction of 20% in child deaths was also registered during the past 15 years, which is leveled among the few African countries which have progressed this regard.
Ethiopia was among the few African countries with a huge child death rate in the world attributed to lack of access to health facilities, poor drinking water and other related diseases.
The report includes the first-ever Child Survival Progress Rankings of 60 developing countries, which together account for 94 percent of all child deaths worldwide.
The rankings indicate which countries are succeeding and which are failing to save the lives of children under the age of 5.
According to the report, twenty of the 60 countries in the Child Survival Progress Rankings have either made no progress in reducing deaths among children under age 5, or their mortality rates have increased since 1990.
"The Mother's Index in the report ranks the best and worst places to be a mother and a child and compares the well-being of mothers and children in 140 countries.
Ethiopia, even though making progress in reducing child deaths, still is ranked as one of the worst places to be a mother," said the report.
"While we are pleased that Ethiopia is working to address the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths of children younger than 5 by 2015, this cannot be accomplished without also investing in the health of mothers, "said Margaret Schuler, Save the Children USA Country Director to Ethiopia.
The report also indicated that only 6 percent of births are attended by skilled health personnel in Ethiopia, which it said is lower than every other country while only 40% of 1-year olds are immunized against measles.
"Among children exhibiting symptoms of pneumonia, only 19 percent are taken to a health-care provider (only Chad and Botswana have a lower figure), "the report added.
Save the Children Alliance, which issued the report, is made up of Save the Children Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and Save the Children USA, all operating globally and in Ethiopia.

Outgoing Foreign currency cap rises

By our staff reporter

The National Bank of Ethiopia announced on Friday that the amount of foreign currency in which an Ethiopian traveler abroad is allowed to buy has been raised from the existing 400 USD to 1,000 USD.
In a press statement the bank issued on Friday, Ethiopians who became foreign nationals have also been allowed to open foreign currency bank accounts in local banks.
Diplomats and those individuals who are not residing in Ethiopia but are allowed to open accounts including organizations are permitted to take foreign currency accounts as much as they want.
The improvement of this rule would be a good response to questions that usually have been raised by resident diplomats, international organizations and NGOs, it said.
The Bank also decided in its new rule that any Ethiopian who would be returning back home after a visit abroad should change foreign currency under his/her possession to Birr with in 45 days.
The new rules set by the National Bank would be applied into practice beginning next Monday.

Somalia
Uncovering face veils

Transitional government security forces in Somalia have begun seizing and burning women's face veils in Mogadishu in an attempt to stop insurgents disguising themselves in order to carry out attacks. When the city was under the control of the Islamic Courts Union in the second half of 2006, women were ordered to cover their heads; now they are being ordered not to.
Peacekeepers without salaries
African peacekeepers in Somalia have received no salaries because the AU has provided no funding since they were deployed to the war-scarred country in March, their spokesman said Thursday.
Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the Ugandans deployed in Somalia as peacekeepers, said the Ugandan government has been paying the expenses of the deployment and also was making some contribution toward soldiers’ welfare, in hopes of one day being reimbursed by the African Union, which authorized the force. He did not offer further details.
"It is true that we are in the third month and we have not been paid," Ankunda said. He called on the international community to send resources so the AU mission in Somalia could be maintained.
"We are facing financial troubles," Ankunda said. The "Ugandan government pays a lot of money for our operation and welfare."
He said there was no plan for the troops to leave, though. "We will bear with the money problem," he said.
AU spokesman Assnae Ba said the organization had not yet received money pledged by donors to the peacekeeping mission in Somalia, but added that the AU would repay any money Uganda spends on its troops, including pre-deployment expenses.
Africa parliament says Ethiopia to fail
Ethiopia's efforts to stabilize Somalia are unlikely to succeed and African countries should live up to their promises to send peacekeepers there, a continental advisory body said on Thursday.
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) also said in a report that Ethiopian military support for Somali government forces against Islamist insurgents was "doomed to failure".
Backed by Ethiopian troops, tanks and warplanes, Somali forces ousted rival Islamist leaders in January and are trying to secure the capital after a surge of bloody fighting.
Fighting between Ethiopian-backed government forces and insurgents has killed at least 1,300 people since February. Just days ago, it declared victory, but is still wary of guerrilla-style attacks.
The PAP only advises the African Union (AU) and has no decision-making powers.
But its conflict resolution committee's recommendation that Ethiopian troops should withdraw from Somalia drew strong criticism from Ethiopian delegates to a session in Johannesburg.
"There seems to be great variance with what the report said and what is happening on the ground," said Ahmed Hassen, an Ethiopian member of the parliament.
The interim Somali government, set up in 2004, is determined to restore central rule to the Horn of Africa country for the first time since warlords toppled dictator Siad Barre in 1991.
The PAP report suggested the transitional government and its Ethiopian allies were trying to use the issue of Islamic insurgents to gain U.S. backing.
"The Islamic Courts issue was always largely deployed by Ethiopian and the Transitional Federal Government as a way of winning U.S. approval," it said.
"This was the way in which Somalia's domestic power struggles could be internationalized".
PAP criticized the AU for not delivering on promises to send peacekeeping forces to Somalia. So far only Uganda has sent a 1,500-man contingency that began patrolling Mogadishu in recent days after a lull in fighting.
"At present, it is apparent to everyone that for all the labeling the current deployment is a Ugandan rather than an AU mission, and there is no sign of command or control being exercised from the AU," the report said.
Crackdown on an outdoor weapons market
In a bid to reinforce its tenuous grip on Somalia's war-wracked capital, officials Thursday launched a crackdown on an outdoor market in Mogadishu known for its weapons vendors.
The government official in charge of the operation, Colonel Abdurisak Dimoqradi, told reporters traders in the large Bakara market had been told to dismantle their stalls and clear out of public buildings they had taken over.
"We have given them a deadline to destroy illegal stalls in Bakara and I hope they will obey orders," he said.
"We are going to destroy all illegal buildings built after the collapse of the central government" in 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted.
Many traders were seen angriliy protesting the order.
"I have been doing business for two years in this small kiosk and they are telling me to remove it now," said Salah Ali Abdi, a pharmacist in the market.
Another trader, Dhoore Muse, said: "They are clearing the whole area, but the problem is that they have nowhere for the people to build other business places."
The operation was another signal from Somalia's two-year-old interim government that it was determined to fully control Mogadishu following its rout of Islamist forces with the help of Ethiopian troops.
A deadly Islamist-led insurgency in the city only abated last month after street battles that claimed hundreds of lives and displaced up to 400,000 civilians.
Small scale attacks
Small scale attacks continue against the Somali government, however.
Early Thursday, a landmine blast killed three civilians in southern Mogadishu shortly after a government convoy drove past, witnesses and officials said.
And at least two civilians were injured by a hand grenade that unidentified attackers threw at a police patrol on Wednesday.
A newly-appointed police chief, Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid, promised Thursday to crack down on those carrying out the attacks.

Zewditu Hospital closed

Eco-friendly vehicle coming soon

Doctors finally get better allowances

Ethiopian leases two B767 Jets for Millennium

World Bank: Land policy is causing tenurial insecurity ‘Fears over loss of land rights has adverse effects on investment and structural change’

Overchargers, hoarders be warned: Girma Birru

Germany calling to fight HIV/AIDS

50 years of European integration

Ethiopia: among worse places for moms

Outgoing Foreign currency cap rises

Somalia Uncovering face veils

Zewditu Hospital closed

Eco-friendly vehicle coming soon

Doctors finally get better allowances

Ethiopian leases two B767 Jets for Millennium

World Bank: Land policy is causing tenurial insecurity ‘Fears over loss of land rights has adverse effects on investment and structural change’

Overchargers, hoarders be warned: Girma Birru

Germany calling to fight HIV/AIDS

50 years of European integration

Ethiopia: among worse places for moms

Outgoing Foreign currency cap rises

Somalia Uncovering face veils

World Bank: Land policy is causing tenurial insecurity
‘Fears over loss of land rights has adverse effects on investment and structural change’

Somalia
Uncovering face veils

World Bank: Land policy is causing tenurial insecurity
‘Fears over loss of land rights has adverse effects on investment and structural change’

Somalia
Uncovering face veils