The head of the African Union on Friday has said that two more countries will send troops to join the African Mission for peacekeeping in Somalia (AMISOM). Mr Jean Ping AU commission president said that Djibouti and Guinea will both send troops to the ravaged country to boost the overwhelmed contingent of Uganda and Burundi forces, bringing the estimated troops levels to 10,000. The AU mission currently has about 6,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi in Somalia. At least 21,000 civilians are believed to have been killed in the violence over the last years, while 1.5 million have been forced to flee their homes.

A US national has been arrested by security officials and charged with trying to join Somali militant group of Al-Shabab. 20 year old Zachary Adam Chesser was charged on Wednesday with providing material support to the militia group in Somalia. According to court documents, Chesser was linked to a website that called for protests against the creators of satirical cartoon “South Park” for the show’s depiction of the Prophet Mohammed PBOH earlier this year.

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka announced the launch of a new political party, the Democratic Front for People’s Federation DFPF. The party he said at a lecture celebrating his 76th birthday will represent an “organ of collaboration for progressive forces” to unseat the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

The extra ordinary summits of heads of African states and governments meeting for IGAD, (the Inter Governmental Authority on Development) have called for military intervention to restore peace in war torn Somalia. The Executive Director of IGAD Eng. Mahboub Maalim said regional countries and member states of the IGAD need to create a unified synergy towards dealing with the Somali crisis that now threatens peace and stability while compromising security and safety in the Horn of Africa countries.

Somali pirates on Wednesday released a Norwegian tanker and a Kenyan flagged fishing vessel that was in their custody for close to four months. East African Seafarers Assistance Programme head Andrew Mwangura said that MT UBT Ocean and FV Sakoba had been released and were headed to Dar es Salaam and Mombasa respectively. Sources say that a ransom was paid to the pirates but it’s not yet clear how much the pirates parted with.

A ferry capsized today Wednesday July 21, on Lake Victoria of the Ugandan shores causing uncertainty on the number of those who might have died. “Based on information coming from the survivors, the figures I have are 13 people on board,” deputy national police spokesman Vincent Ssekate told AFP.

Somali militant group of Al-Shabaab on Tuesday evening shot dead a Kenyan General Service officer (GSU) along the Kenya-Somali border at Liboi. Reports suggest that two officers who were patrolling the border point were attacked in Harehare, 17km from Liboi town. The other officer escaped unhurt after he shot back at their attackers in a brief gun battle.

Kenya’s anti terror police unit on Monday night launched an extensive search at the offices of Higher Education Minister William Ruto following possible threats that a bomb had been planted there. Security details and bomb experts from the Criminal investigation Department (CID) pitched camp at the ministers Jogoo House Offices where the search lasted about an hour.