An international meeting on Somalia, chaired by the United Nations, today called on the world community to offer practical and, where possible, direct support to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) as it battles extremists in a country that has had no central government for almost two decades.
Meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the chairmanship of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the 33-member International Contact Group on Somalia (ICG) noted the TFG's call for the global community to establish a greater presence in Mogadishu, the war-torn capital, as soon as possible, and welcomed the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) decision to open an office there.
"The ICG condemns the continuing violence perpetrated against Somali civilians by extremists," the group said in a communiqué, citing in particular the suicide bomb attack on a graduation ceremony for medical students which killed at least 15 people in Mogadishu earlier this month.
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It also deplored the continuing piracy off the Somali coast and its "devastating effect on the lives of those in Somalia and the region as well as international trade" and welcomed the international naval presence while recognizing that the causes of piracy are on land and must be addressed urgently.
The ICG reiterated its support for the 2008 Djibouti process, a peace accord between the TFG and one of the rebel groups, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), which was meant to pave the way for the cessation of all armed conflict across the faction-plagued country.
"It calls on all groups and factions to join the Djibouti process and work with the Transitional Federal Government which is the legitimate and internationally recognised Government of Somalia," the communiqué said.
"The ICG welcomes the TFG's commitment to continue its outreach efforts to all groups willing to cooperate and ready to renounce violence and encourages the TFG to continue and expand its efforts."
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my black folks are sad, so sad
I am an American anarchist, not religious. This is not about Islam, nor about the Taliban or Al Qaeda. I've never have and never will visit Africa, but have been studying on Somalia as the world's only example of anarchy.
Somalia is doing much better without it's government overthrown in 1991; read Peter T. Leeson's "Better Off Stateless" posted on my http://no-ruler.net -- click the link to "Stateless".
Somalia's Transitional "Govern"ment -- is being foisted upon the peoples at the behest of the UN, the USA, and many pundits, all with an agenda of Force. It has never even been presented to the peoples of Somalia for their advise and consent.
The problem is merely that the world has no clue how to "deal with" lands without governments. After all, who will sign treaties, who will tax to have socialism , who will tax and conscript the peoples into armies and force them to sacrifice themselves to wage wars?
Somalia is truly "better off stateless" and without any Ruler empowered to force such atrocities, and the entire world would be better off. I know that it seems a mind-boggling thought, but if somehow there must be a "government", why not Voluntary? Force is illegal almost everywhere, yet doesn't apply to governments? What a paradox!
Those who oppose having this pseudo "transitional government" (or any other) seem to find it impossible to refer to Al Shabaab e.g. without calling them "insurgents", which means resisting Lawful government. They are rebels, yes, not insurgents, and cannot be blamed for trying to protect their freedoms. The various clans appear to also seek control, unfortunately. That's between the clans, and hardly the business of outsiders.
Outsiders are the cause of most skirmishes in Somalia; we hear mostly about intrusions triggered by Ethiopia, and the UN, AU and USA. They are not wars and are relatively trivial when compared to wars. The Transitional Government exists only to serve their causes, paid for by sacrifices foisted upon the peoples of this earth.