By RIA Novosti
United Nations : The UN Security Council has extended by six months the mandate of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia torn by clan wars, the organisation said in a unanimous resolution.
The African Union has been carrying out peacekeeping missions in Somalia on behalf of the UN.
The East African nation has suffered from the ongoing fight among various groups for control over the capital and southern regions of the country since warring clans overthrew President Siad Barre in 1991.
A transitional government, which was formed in 2004, is backed by the UN and has been battling Islamist insurgents. Piracy, including on vessels carrying UN aid, off the Somalian coast is frequent.
In February, the UN Security Council approved sending 1,700 Ugandans to Somalia as part of the African Union’s peacekeeping force the strength of which is expected to eventually reach 8,000.
Troops from other African nations – Burundi, Ghana and Nigeria – have been delayed due to shortage of funds.