MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti) - Ugandan authorities have confirmed the Somali state minister for defense was held in the country's capital Kampala, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday.

Sheikh Yusuf Mohammad Siad, a former warlord, was earlier reported by Somali government sources and his relatives to have been abducted, but Ugandan officials said Tuesday Siad was held by security forces who were suspicious about his visit.

Somalia has been without an effective government since the Revolutionary Socialist Party was overthrown in 1991. The internationally recognized federal government controls only the capital city of Mogadishu and part of central Somalia.

A 3,500-strong peacekeeping contingent of the African Union acting on a UN Security Council mandate is currently deployed in Somalia. The contingent mainly consists of Uganda and Burundi natives.