Conflict in Somalia: Envoy Pleads With International Community Not to Give Up.

UN Rep for Somalia - Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah

The UN Special envoy to Somalia, has called on the International Community and the rest of the world not to give up on the war-torn Horn of Africa nation. “The International Community should not give up on Somalia. It should protect the innocent people of Somalia,” pleaded Mr. Ban Ki-Moon’s representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. He said in Nairobi that the country requires a minimum government that would be tasked for the establishment of a fully-fledged authority. The envoy said with a 45-year old working constitution, presently, Somalia just requires only a President; a democratic Parliament, Speaker and assistance from civil societies, to constitute a minimum government to continue the process. “As UN, we must not surrender our obligation until a new and peaceful Somalia is achieved. Together with Civil Societies, the I.C. must install a minimum government comprising of the President; Parliament and the Speaker, to ensure a fully-fledged government is in place,” said a visibly angry Abdallah.

Speaking at a one-day seminar in Nairobi for Civil Society and Peacebuilding hosted by Life and Peace Institute yesterday, Mr. Abdallah also called on the UN to change its approach on Somalia saying the conflict in the oil-rich desert nation had gone for far too long with huge resources put in it yet with no tangible peace. “With 10-20 years and a minimum of about Sh450-Sh600 billion ($6-8 billion) of resources put in to settle the conflict, it is unthinkable to allow other people to make it a ritual by killing others every day,” he added.

Somalia has experienced almost constant conflict since the collapse of its central government in 1991. The latest fighting is said to have forced about 20,000 people from residential areas of the capital, where pro-government forces and insurgent groups are engaged in heavy fighting. According to Non-governmental organisations working in the war-ravaged country, about 1 million Somalis out of a population of 9 million people (UN estimates), are internal refugees while thousands have fled to neighbouring countries. “We have to review this and ask Somalia to be transparent and to be a more credible partner. But above all, it should be on the driving seat and own the renewed efforts to bring about peace in the country,” Mr. Abdallah told civil society representatives and diplomats including Kenya’s Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission Chairman, Amb. Bethuel Kiplagat and Somalia ambassador to Kenya, Mohamed Ali Nur.

However, the envoy said that, Somalia has to be accompanied in the peace journey because it had become a problem to itself; her neighbours and an embarrassment to the I.C. He called on the Civil Societies to be more innovative in dealing with the two-decade conflict. Mr. Abdallah called on the I.C. to support peace efforts by the Transitional Federal Government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, IGAD and AU with more resources. “We also urge SADC and ECOWAS not to neglect IGAD. We have supported other countries; Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Sierra Leone among others, why not Somalia?,” he posed. Kiplagat who has for years been involved with the peace efforts in Somalia and Sudan called on the world to stop over-demonising the Horn of Africa Nation as a failed state yet the conflict there is similar to others across Africa and the world in general. “Somalia is neither unique nor difficult. We have to find ways of helping those who are taking risks in trying to build peace in that country,” he added. Amb. Kiplagat called on those trying to foster peace in Somalia to hang on until peace is achieved but called on the locals to own the process if meaningful achievements have to be realised.

A leading civil society representative, Camelbell Consultants Director Dr. Dekha Ibrahim challenged Somalis especially those fighting, to sit together and discuss the peace process. She particularly proposed that, they should embrace old but valued communes for reconstruction of a social fabric through civil society leaders by praying; eating and engaging in social leadership roles together. In January 2009, during the election of a moderate Islamist, Mr. Sharif Sheikh Ahmad as president of the TFG and the departure of Ethiopian troops, it was hoped that the violence would stop, but Islamist insurgents by the name Al-Shabab and now, Hisbul-Islam, are stepping up insurgence almost on a daily basis.

Al-Shabab is on the US list of most wanted terrorist networks which is alleged to have links with Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda.

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