Somali warlord freed from jail

Aideed (left) is in Kenya to attend peace talks

One of Somalia's most powerful warlords, Hussein Aideed, has been freed from prison in Kenya.

Mr Aideed was released following the intervention of Kenya's ambassador to Somalia, Mohammed Abdi Afey.

Mr Aideed has been in Kenya since October 2002 for peace talks on the future of Somalia and Mr Afey said his presence at the talks was "crucial".

He was jailed last week in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for failing to pay debts to a Kenyan businessman.

Following his arrest, his supporters held a protest in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Mr Afey promised to produce him if he was needed in court over the debt.

"We need him at the talks. We are going to the final phase at the talks now and it is crucial that he is there," Mr Afey told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

Talks resume

Hussein Aideed, who is an American citizen, was arrested at the Nairobi hotel where he was staying in order to attend the talks.

He was paid 15m Kenyan shillings ($190,000) to carry out reconstruction work in Somalia in 1997 but the work was never done, a court found.

He is the son of the late General Mohamed Farah Aideed, who US forces vainly tried to capture in 1993.

He took over the leadership of the Somali National Alliance from his father after he was killed in 1996.

Somalia has had no central government since 1991 and is divided into areas controlled by rival warlords.

The talks began in October 2002 and the rivals have agreed a ceasefire and the creation of a power-sharing government.

But this has not yet been formed.

The third, and supposedly final, phase of the talks started at the weekend.