Somalia: UN Envoy Condemns Murder of Former Somalia Trade Minister

Photo: Daily Nation/Xinhua
The wreckage of the car bomb after it exploded outside a Somali government building in Mogadishu on February 17, 2012.

The top United Nations political envoy in Somalia has condemned the murder of a former trade minister in the capital, Mogadishu, and called on the authorities to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

The former minister and current member of parliament, Mohamed Abdinur Garweyne, was killed and at least six others wounded by a car bomb attack in front of the Bin Ali Hotel in the capital's Hamarweyne neighbourhood yesterday. The attack was allegedly carried out by the Islamist insurgent group known as Al-Shabaab.

In a statement, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, said that this "cowardly" attack will not be allowed to derail the ongoing peace process.

"As the transitional period draws to a close we must all redouble our efforts to ensure that the Somalis seize this golden opportunity for peace and stability," he added.

After decades of warfare, Somalia has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process, with the country's Transitional Federal Institutions currently implementing the so-called Roadmap for the End of Transition in Somalia.

Devised in September last year, the plan spells out priority measures to be carried out before the current transitional governing arrangements end on 20 August.

  • Comment

Copyright © 2012 UN News Service. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 130 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

Comments Post a comment

InFocus

Somalia: UN Condemns Murder of Former Minister

The United Nations has condemned the roadside bomb attack that killed a former minister and left two others seriously injured in Mogadishu. Read more »