The top United Nations envoy for Somalia went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today for a meeting of the African Union (AU) that is expected to discuss plans for the speedy deployment of a protection force and training mission to back the transitional Government there after it ousted Islamist groups with Ethiopian help.
The visit by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative François Lonsény Fall to attend the AU Peace and Security Council follows his trip yesterday to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, where he called on the transitional Government to seize this "rare opportunity" to expand its authority and prevent a resurgence of the warlords who tore the country apart for the past 16 years.
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