Somalia parliament declares emergency

BAIDOA, Somalia, Jan 13: Somalia's parliament declared a state of emergency today for a period of three months in order to restore security in the country after several weeks of warfare ousted rival Islamists.

''A three-month state of emergency has been passed. If need arises for the government to extend the period then the president will have to ask parliament for approval,'' second deputy speaker Osman Elmi Boqore told parliament.

He said 154 members of parliament voted for the law, while two voted against it.

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi announced plans for martial law late last month after Ethiopian-backed government forces drove out Islamists from the capital Mogadishu.

Parliament has been debating the motion in the last few days, aiming to maintain control of a nation without effective central rule since the 1991 overthrow of a dictator.

The Somali interim government is seeking to install itself in the capital -- one of the world's most dangerous cities.

Reuters