Somalia: UN envoy welcomes latest meeting of initiative to bolster security

The senior United Nations envoy to Somalia today welcomed the first meeting in Mogadishu of a joint committee set up to boost safety and security across the war-wracked country.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said the meeting of the Joint Security Committee in the Somali capital was “an important step towards reforming and improving security.”

The committee, which comprises representatives of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the international community, met on Saturday to discuss the latest developments in the Horn of Africa nation.

It was established by the Djibouti Agreement last year to discuss security issues and aims to harmonize the work of the TFG and the international community, particularly concerning efforts to bolster Somalia’s fragile security institutions such as the national army and police.

“This committee provides a key forum for the Somali Government and international community to work together on supporting the security sector at this crucial time,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.

The committee, which is also mandated to facilitate the disbursement of pledges made at a conference in Brussels, Belgium, in April to boost Somali security, is expected to eventually cover other areas, including the rule of law and security sector reform.