Somali officials are holding up to 50 foreign nationals, the Danish Foreign Ministry said today.

The United States will provide $40m (€30.7m) to Somalia in political, humanitarian and peacekeeping assistance, the top US diplomat to Africa said today.

Kenya has sent extra troops to the Somali frontier, stepped up security checks and said it saw no reason for Somalis to flee, underlining fears about Somali Islamic militants slipping across the border after losing a power struggle.