Puntland leader "alive and well"

Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad, leader of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, who travelled to London for medical reasons, has been given a clean bill of health, a source close to Abdullahi told IRIN on Tuesday.

The source said that persistent local media reports that Abdullahi Yusuf was either seriously ill or had died "were malignant and irresponsible". Abdullahi, who arrived in London about a week ago, is "alive and well", he added.

"He was in London for a routine medical checkup and was given a clean bill of health by his doctors", said the source.

Abdullahi Yusuf was temporarily admitted to hospital in London for a liver condition in November 2000 and "has to submit to checkups every now and then", the source noted. "The president is fine and will return to Puntland in the next 36 hours," he told IRIN.

The Puntland leader had been given liver tests, and was admitted to a London hospital for "a couple of days", Somali political sources told IRIN. They also stressed that they did not suspect any other reason for his hospitalisation, describing it as "routine for someone in his condition".