UN envoy attends African Union meeting on Somalia

The United Nations envoy for Somalia today attended the Peace and Security Commission meeting in Addis Ababa of the African Union (AU), which is discussing responses to the situation in the troubled Horn of Africa country.

The Commission met to discuss implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1725, which authorizes the creation of a protection force and training mission in Somalia to help protect the country's transitional federal institutions. The new force is to be set up by the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Francois Lonsény Fall called for further involvement of the AU in sensitizing the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to the need to engage in an all-inclusive dialogue. He also urged the African Union Peace and Security Commission to implement resolution 1725 as soon as possible, and for its member States to contribute troops.

On Friday, Mr. Fall attended a meeting in Nairobi of the International Contact Group for Somalia that adopted a communiqué welcoming the commitment by the country’s President, Abdullahi Yusuf, to inclusive governance and the prevention of a resurgence of warlord activities.

The communiqué also stressed the importance of immediately launching a process of political dialogue and reconciliation in the Horn of Africa country, which has not had a functioning government since the regime of Muhammad Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

Last month, heavy fighting erupted between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) – backed by Ethiopian troops – and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC).