- Title: SOMALIA: Somalis urge rest of Africa to honour peacekeeper pledges
- Date: 17th May 2007
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOHAMED ALI FOUM, AU AMBASSADOR TO SOMALIA, SAYING: "The geography of Somalia is so strategic that it could impact even on international (INAUDIBLE), so it is imperative that we all come together to help the Somali people."
- Embargoed: 1st June 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Somalia
- Country: Somalia
- Topics: Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA9XGFJNSJTKPYN99DVYZV0ZLWK
- Story Text: Somalis give their views on the reluctance of AU member countries to deploy peacekeepers. High-level UN and AU officials visited Mogadishu recently to assess security and humanitarian support.
Officials and ordinary citizens in Somalia are calling on African nations that promised to send peacekeepers to keep their word. Various African nations had pledged to contribute an 8,000-strong mission to pacify Somalia.
But so far, only Uganda has sent troops. Its 1,500-man contingent began patrolling Mogadishu in recent days after a lull in fighting that killed at least 1,300 people in the city since February.
"We're calling upon the international community to face Somalia's problems squarely and to complete their promises over the African peacekeepers and make efforts to reconcile Somalis," said Ali Hassan Dhore, a businessman in Mogadishu.
Burundi, Malawi, Nigeria and Ghana had also expressed willingness to send soldiers for the African Union (AU) force. But the vicious fighting in Mogadishu -- which also saw some 365,000 people flee the city, according to the United Nations -- has unnerved some military commanders around the region.
And as with its troubled peacekeeping foray in Sudan's Darfur region, the AU faces a shortage of money and equipment.
"If more troops come or don't come, it's all the same to me because those that are already here in Somalia are doing nothing," said Bile Abdullahi Ali, a resident of Mogadishu.
Government officials say a recent offensive by allied Ethiopian and Somali government troops had all but defeated an insurgency in Mogadishu led by Islamist militants.
So the relative calm gave a window of opportunity for more African troops to come in, and allow Ethiopian troops -- whose presence is controversial in the eyes of many Somalis -- to leave after helping the government set up in Mogadishu. With hardline Islamist figures like Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and Aden Hashi Ayro still at large, that window may not stay open for long.
"I am very excited about the Ugandan peacekeepers that are now in Somalia and what they are doing for us. For example they have given us programs for water and sanitation. The remaining African troops should come in as soon as possible," said Nasteeho Ali Mire, who also lives in Mogadishu.
Officials have also said that refugees -- whom the government puts at 200,000, lower than the UN figure -- were flooding back to Mogadishu. On Friday (May 11) top AU and UN officials arrived in Mogadishu to assess the security and the need for humanitarian support.
"The geography of Somalia is so strategic that it could impact even on international (INAUDIBLE), so it is imperative that we all come together to help the Somali people," said Mohamed Ali Foum, the AU's Ambassador to Somalia.
"We can't just sit and watch, as the name AMISOM states, we are here to support peace," he added.
The government is preparing for a June 14 national reconciliation conference in Mogadishu, already delayed from April due to insecurity. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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