"I am deeply disturbed by the continuing endless reports of civilian casualties- many of them women and children- caused by ongoing fighting in South-Central region and in Mogadishu," said Mr. Bari, who has just completed his fifth country visits to Kenya, Somalia and Uganda (26 July-6 August). "One Mogadishu hospital alone reported that it had treated 1,400 war-wounded persons in the first six months of the year."

"Many children and young people risk being recruited by armed groups and used in the front lines and there are generations who have known nothing but violence and conflict," the UN Human Rights Council Independent Expert warned.

Somaliland's incoming President Ahmed Mohamed 'Silyano' Mohamoud, center, and Vice President Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismai, right, after President Mohamoud was sworn in as Somaliland's fourth president, 27 Jul 2010

Ahmed Mohamed Silaanyo was sworn on Monday as the new President of Somaliland, a self-declared independent republic in northwestern Somalia. The inauguration marks a successful democratic transition in an otherwise tumultuous region, but Mr. Silaanyo will face many of the same problems which plague the south as he assumes office.

The ceremony, which took place in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa, was attended by delegations from across east Africa, including officials from Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

Silaanyo was elected with 49 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin, who received around one-third of the ballots during the June 26 poll, which was praised by observers as free and fair.

Before being sworn in, the new leader acknowledged his responsibility to Somaliland and promised justice and equality for its people. Silaanyo also announced that he would name his cabinet tomorrow in order to begin governing.

The Somaliland Development Organization, a Dutch NGO that works in Somaliland, has launched its new web site to promote its activities and start work on new projects in the energy sector.

SDO Foundation is a Netherlands-based organization, which deals with improving the living conditions in Somaliland and the reconstruction of the county. SDO is a public benefit institution and independent of any party politics and clans.

The projects initiated and supported by SDO are realized in different cities of Somaliland. The location of the projects depends on the needs of the people in that region.