AU seeks fresh initiatives to end Somali conflict
December 22, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — The African Union (AU) called on Saturday for new initiatives to end Somalia’s conflict, describing it as one of the most serious challenges for peace and security in Africa.
An AU mission to Somalia (AMISOM) is meant to number 8,000 troops, but so far only 1,600 Ugandan soldiers have been deployed to the Horn of Africa country suffering what the U.N. says is Africa’s worst humanitarian crisis.
“The situation in Somalia represents one of the most serious peace and security challenges facing the continent”, the AU Peace and Security Council said in a statement.
“(We) call on the Somalis and the international community to explore new avenues, to muster the required political will and resources to bring to a definite end the conflict that has afflicted Somalia and its people,” the statement added.
Somalia has been mired in lawlessness since warlords ousted military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
There have been 14 attempts to restore effective central rule since then. The latest has been weakened by an Islamist-led insurgency against Ethiopian-backed government forces and persistent political infighting.
A clan power-sharing row forced Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein to dismiss his cabinet this month just weeks after being sworn-in. Under pressure from the international community, he has promised to name a smaller, more inclusive cabinet of 18.
The AU Peace and Security Council said it would meet in mid-January to review the situation in Somalia before the expiry of the AMISOM mandate. The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called for more funds for the AU mission.
The conflict has killed 6,000 civilians this year and uprooted hundreds of thousands from their homes.
(Reuters)