Somalia's Puntland holds 'historic' local polls

Voters joined long queues on Thursday to cast their ballots in landmark local elections in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland, the first direct ballot in more than half a century. The Horn of African country's international partners voiced hope that the "historic" polls would lead to increased democracy across Somalia.

Somalia is struggling to emerge from decades of conflict and chaos, but is battling natural disasters including a punishing drought that has left millions facing hunger. Its international partners -- including the United Nations, African Union and a number of world governments -- hailed the Puntland process as "historic".