Somalia: The AU’s Peace and Security Council meets
On Wednesday [25th Aug], the Peace and Security Council held a session in Addis Ababa on current developments in Somalia. It was extensively briefed by the Deputy Representative of the AU Commission to Somalia, by Ambassador Mahiga, the new Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Somalia, by Ambassador Kongit Sinegiorgis, the Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the AU, and by a representative of the TFG.
The AU Commission’s Deputy Representative detailed the challenges facing the TFG and AMISOM forces on the ground, and emphasized the need for the AU and the international community to swiftly provide support. The TFG’s representative focused on the dangers from the onslaught of terrorism, underlined by the terrorist atrocity at the Mona Hotel the previous day in which six parliamentarians had died as well as twenty civilians. He stressed the need for immediate action to support TFG forces materially and logistically and called on the AU and the international community to contribute to the efforts of the TFG and AMISOM in a concrete way.
Ambassador Mahiga noted that there were signs of growing cooperation and coordination among members of the international community. He said destabilization activities against those areas which had had peace and stability for quite some time should be a concern to the region, to Africa and the international community. He emphasized the critical role to be played by IGAD member states and AMISOM, and emphasised the need to expeditiously implement the issues that had been discussed at the sideline meeting in Kampala. He informed the Council about the meeting scheduled between the AU Commission’s Special Representative on Somalia, UNPOS and AMISOM’s field commander in New York on 13th September.
Ambassador Kongit Sinegiorgis, speaking on behalf of the current IGAD Council Chair, Ethiopia, recalled that the AU Assembly in Kampala had endorsed the decisions of IGAD Heads of State and Government in July, including the decision to deploy another 2,000 peacekeepers for AMISOM immediately. She expressed IGAD's belief that the Council would encourage the relevant bodies to make the necessary efforts for its timely implementation. Ambassador Kongit said that while the leadership of the TFG had yet to show the necessary determination and resolve to work together, the consultations between the TFG and Ahlu Suna wal Jama’a earlier this month, evaluating the implementation of their Agreement, had been constructive; the two parties had come a long way. They had held extensive discussions on how to implement their agreement fully and shown determination to move forward.
An important development, Ambassador Kongit noted, was the international community's current activity. Immediately after the Kampala sidelines meeting, a US-led demarche, involving Somalia’s partners and neighbours, was carried out in various capitals, with a view to soliciting support for the TFG and AMISOM in terms of equipment, logistical support and troop contributions. This was an encouraging development and would continue to help concretize necessary support for Somalia. As the IGAD Summit in July made clear, the fighting in Somalia is no longer between Somalis but rather between the people of Somalia and international terrorism. Ambassador Kongit took the opportunity to underline that IGAD was committed to continuing to work closely with the AU and the UN.