This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22426721

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
David Cameron hosts Somalia conference David Cameron and Mohamud hail 'progress' in Somalia
(about 2 hours later)
UK Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting an international conference in London to help Somalia end more than two decades of conflict. UK Prime Minister David Cameron says Somalia has made "huge progress" in efforts to end more than two decades of conflict.
The conference is focusing on rebuilding security forces and tackling rape - a largely taboo subject. He is co-hosting a conference in London with Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to help the East African state rebuild itself.
Somalia is widely regarded as a failed state, hit by an Islamist insurgency, piracy and a famine from 2010 to 2012.Somalia is widely regarded as a failed state, hit by an Islamist insurgency, piracy and a famine from 2010 to 2012.
At least seven people were killed in a car bomb attack in the capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday. Mr Mohamud said the government would take full control of security by 2015.
Al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, said it carried out the attack. The government - which took office last year - depends on about 18,000 African Union (AU) troops to stay in power.
The meeting - which Mr Cameron is co-hosting with Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud - follows similar conferences in London and the Turkish city of Istanbul last year, amid growing international concern that Somalia has turned into a haven for al-Qaeda-linked militants. Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has waged an insurgency since 2007 to seize power and still controls much of the country.
'Dramatic change' 'Government's writ'
"I hope we can all get behind a long-term security plan - one that ends the Shabab's reign of terror forever," Mr Cameron said. The meeting follows similar conferences in London and the Turkish city of Istanbul last year, amid growing international concern that Somalia has turned into a haven for al-Qaeda-linked militants.
"I also hope we can improve transparency and accountability so people know where resources are going. We also need to continue the process of rebuilding the Somali state, with all the regions of Somalia around the table and the neighbouring countries too." The new government is the first one in more than two decades to be recognised by the United States, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other key players who are attending the conference.
BBC Somalia analyst Mary Harper says there has been a dramatic change in the country in the past year. In a BBC interview, Mr Cameron said Somalia was "one of the most broken countries in the world" and the "writ of the government, as it stands today, doesn't run a long way outside Mogadishu, but at least it has a government, it's making a start and I think we're seeing some real progress".
There is a new government - the first one in more than two decades to be recognised by the United States, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other key players, she says. Mr Cameron also held talks with Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is attending the conference - his first visit to a Western country since his controversial election in March.
Al-Shabab has lost control of the major towns, pirate attacks off the Somali coast have fallen dramatically and the famine, which the United Nations estimates claimed nearly 260,000 lives, is over, she adds. The UK had said it would have limited contact with him, as he been charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with crimes against humanity over his alleged role in fuelling violence after the disputed 2007 election - charges he denies.
However, massive challenges remain, as al-Shabab still has the capacity to carry out attacks and the government depends on about 18,000 African Union (AU) troops for its security, our correspondent says. Mr Cameroon defended meeting Mr Kenyatta, saying he was co-operating with the ICC and Kenya was playing a vital role, along with other regional states, to beat back al-Shabab in Somalia.
Mr Mohamud told delegates that the cornerstones of a new Somalia had been laid since last year's conference.
"The political transition has ended and I stand here as the elected president of a sovereign nation," he said.
The Somali leader told the BBC that he envisaged the withdrawal of the AU force within two years.
"Soon, we are expecting to take over fully the security of Somalia," he said.
'Tackling corruption'
BBC Somalia analyst Mary Harper says Mr Mohamud appears to be optimistic, as he is little more than the president of the capital, Mogadishu.
The Somali army is made up of clan militias with questionable loyalty, she says.
Somalia is also divided into a patchwork of self-governing regions, many of them hostile to the central government.Somalia is also divided into a patchwork of self-governing regions, many of them hostile to the central government.
The breakaway state of Somaliland and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they will boycott the conference. The breakaway state of Somaliland and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland have boycotted the conference.
The conference will address an issue that was until recently completely taboo in Somalia - rape, especially of women living in camps for displaced people, our correspondent says. Somalia's government is also totally dependent on foreign aid, and has so far refused to agree to set up a joint oversight mechanism to curb corruption, our correspondent says.
Somali aid worker Halima Ali Adan told the BBC the decision to tackle the issue at the conference was a big step forward. Mr Mohamud said the government had laid the foundations for a new public finance management mechanism to ensure that donor money was properly spent.
"Sexual violence is something that was not ever spoken about in Somalia," she said. Mr Cameron said the need for a joint oversight mechanism would be discussed at the conference.
"The international community themselves have seen the importance of this issue to be addressed as soon as possible because it is actually overwhelming." "You have to do everything you can to make sure it [aid] gets through to the people who need it but it's particularly tough in a country that hasn't had a functioning government," he told the BBC.
Delegates from more than 50 countries and organisations are expected to attend the meeting. "To be fair to the president, he has signed up to an awful lot of new measures and steps to make sure the government is transparent."
On Monday, Qatar said Sunday's suicide attack in Mogadishu had targeted its officials, Qatar's official QNA news agency reported. UK aid to Somalia for the next two years amounts to about £80m ($120m).
The four officials were travelling in armoured vehicles belonging to the Somali government when the convoy was attacked, it said. The UN estimates that nearly 260,000 people died during the famine in Somalia, which is now over.
None of the Qatari nationals were injured, QNA reported. Pirate attacks have also fallen dramatically in recent years, as international navies patrol Somalia's waters.
However, 10 other people were wounded in the attack, according to a BBC correspondent in Mogadishu. Rival groups have battled for control of Somalia since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Siad Barre in 1991.