Somalia: Security Council welcomes progress in peace process

The United Nations Security Council today expressed its support for ongoing regional efforts to reach a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia.

In a statement read out by the current Council President, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, the 15-nation body indicated its firm support for the "unified approach of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to national reconciliation in Somalia."

The Council specifically lauded the Declaration on Cessation of Hostilities and the Structures and Principles of the Somalia National Reconciliation Process signed in Eldoret, Kenya, in late October. It also called on all parties to cease all acts of violence, specifically against humanitarian personnel, and to respect the Eldoret Agreement.

The statement also welcomed the Joint Declaration issued by all involved parties on 2 December in Mogadishu stating their commitment to bring to an end all killings and abductions of innocent people and hijacking of public transportation in the city, and noted with satisfaction the start of the second phase of the Somalia National Reconciliation Process that same day in Eldoret.

The Council expressed "serious concern," however, over the situation of internally displaced persons in Somalia, and called on all armed factions to allow humanitarian personnel immediate and unfettered access to these populations at risk.