NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 13 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's interim president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, held a press conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi Tuesday where he discussed the latest developments in Mogadishu and updated reporters on his search for a new prime minister.

President Yusuf said security in the capital Mogadishu is "better than before" and that the anti-peace groups opposed to governance have been weakened dramatically.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf

There are two main groups fighting in Mogadishu, according to the Somali president. He specifically named al-Shabaab and Muqawama as groups responsible for the political violence raging in Mogadishu.

Exiled Islamic Courts leaders in Asmara, Eritrea, are "stuck in Eritrea" and are "unable to influence" events in Mogadishu, President Yusuf suggested.

The al-Shabaab and Muqawama insurgents have either been killed or captured, and the remaining fugitives will soon be brought to justice, the president said.

President Yusuf said the process to nominate a new prime minister is "going well," but declined to give the press further information. He said he is holding consultative talks with various Somali politicians and international diplomats in Nairobi.

The president eagerly welcomed parliament's unanimous approval of an amendment that would permit non-members of parliament to hold the post of premier, giving Yusuf a wider pool of competent candidates to select from.

Yusuf's longtime premier, Prof. Ali Mohamed Gedi, resigned last month after following out with the aging Somali president.

"I don’t see Ahmed Dirie as a [clan] spokesman, but as spokesman for the insurgents," President Yusuf said, referring to a clan elder detained by Mogadishu police on Sunday. [ Full story]

The president he "heard" of Dirie’s arrest but did not give the order.

The Somali leader appealed to the United Nations and to other aid agencies to come assist the Somali people, who have suffered for a long time without government but are now thirsty for peace, governance and a prosperous life.

Source: Garowe Online