Somalia: Ban speaks out against killing of African Union peacekeepers

The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today said he was shocked to hear about an attack against African Union peacekeepers in the capital that claimed the lives of 11 Burundian troops.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned the suicide attack against an African Union (AU) contingent in the Somali capital Mogadishu that claimed the lives of 11 Burundian peacekeepers.

“There can be no legitimate justification for this and other recent attacks targeting AU forces that are deployed with the sole purpose of helping the Somali people bring peace and security to their country,” he said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Mr. Ban expressed his deep sadness at the loss of life and voiced his “heartfelt solidarity” with the AU and with the Burundian Government, which has “shown commendable and steadfast leadership in Somalia.”

He said that he believes the continued commitment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, “must be backed by wider support from the international community so that it can effectively carry out its mandate under difficult circumstances.”

Also expressing his shock at yesterday’s incident was the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, who characterized yesterday’s incident as “unpatriotic.”

The killings of the soldiers with the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, occurred the day after the Parliament approved the new Cabinet put together by Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke.

“I am sure that this attack was carried out to detract attention from positive developments concerning Somalia,” Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said, adding that the new Government seeks to help bring normality back to the people.

Somalia is entering a “time of hope,” with President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed returning to Mogadishu today, he noted. “For Somalis, those who are behind these killings are well-known and are on the losing side.”

There have been several encouraging developments over the past month for Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government since 1991, including the election of the new President in what the UN has hailed as “a fair and open manner” and the creation of an enlarged Parliament.