Somalia's peace deal

[SOO MAAL]

Somalia's peace deal

 

Thousands of Somalis have recently demonstrated against the inclusion of Ethiopia in the force charged with keeping the peace in Somalia. For most Somalis, an Ethiopian presence rewards Ethiopia's past meddling, which perpetuated the civil war in Somalia for the past 14 years. Ethiopian troops in the peacekeeping force may as well be an occupation of Somalia.

 

The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, should step in and provide leadership in building the peace. To instill confidence among the Somalis, small peacekeeping forces are needed. Such a force must come from outside the region and should be under UN leadership. Its mandate has to be clear, and all of the Somali groups that have signed the cease-fire agreement have to accept. Cultural, religious and health concerns must also be addressed.

 

Throughout history, the Somalis and Ethiopians have had hostile relations. The Ethiopians can neither be expected to be neutral nor to act in the interest of the Somali people.

 

If the conflict is to end for good, the Somalis must own the peace process. Allowing Ethiopian forces to make peace in Somalia is the same as asking India to disarm Pakistan.

 

Afyare Abdi Elmi, Toronto

 

International Herald Tribune

 

Thursday, February 17, 2005

[SOO MAAL]

Somalis demand 'neutral' peacekeeping troops

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Somalis demand 'neutral' peacekeeping troops

 

Mogadishu - About 3 000 Somalis took to the streets of Mogadishu on Monday to protest the possible deployment of troops from Ethiopia and Djibouti as part of a regional mission to help the country's transitional government relocate here from exile.

 

The demonstrators said they would not accept soldiers from the two countries as members of the force being organised by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) because of their past policies toward Somalia.

 

"Ethiopia donated weapons to rival warlords," said one placard. "It should not be part of the mission."

 

"We want neutral troops," read another.

 

'We want neutral troops'

"Djibouti supported the TNG, we don't want it," read another banner, referring to an earlier failed attempt to set up a functional Somali government that was sponsored by Djibouti.

 

Demonstrators accused Ethiopia and Djibouti, and, to a lesser extent, Kenya, of "invading Somalia" by participating in the mission to assist President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's nascent administration move to Mogadishu from exile in Nairobi.

 

Ethiopia said on Monday it had agreed to take part in the IGAD force, Djibouti is debating the matter and Kenya says it will only send observers.

 

IGAD, which groups Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, was authorised by the African Union (AU) in the past week to deploy an interim peace mission in Somalia ahead of a proper AU force.

 

An assessment team from the African Union and other bodies was due in Mogadishu later Monday to scout out the security situation which has grown more tense since the killing last week of a BBC journalist in the capital.

 

Some Somali clans and Islamic court leaders have vowed to resist the deployment of foreign troops in the shattered African nation which has been without functioning government since the fall of strongman Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991.

 

"The vast majority of the Somalis do not appreciate the deployment of a foreign force, which includes troops from Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya," said Abdullahi Mohamud Shirwa, an official of a Somali civic group that took part in the protest.

 

Somalis have accused Ethiopia of backing various factions and Djibouti of supporting the predecessor to Yusuf's government.

 

Kenya, which is home to thousands of Somali refugees, is accused of having dubious political interests in Somalia.

 

Shirwa argued the three states could not "be neutral in Somalia because some backed one faction against another during the decade of civil war".

 

Previous international attempts to secure the peace in Somalia have been ignominious failures.

 

A foray by United Nations and United States to restore peace between 1993 and 1995 ended when the missions were sucked into inter-clan fighting, resulting in the death of about 140 United Nations peacekeepers, 18 US special forces members and thousands of Somalis. - Sapa-AFP

 

 

 

Published on the Web by IOL on 2005-02-14 14:38:11

[SOO MAAL]

SOMALIA: Ministers to explain new government policies in regions

16 Feb 2005 12:21:07 GMT

 

Source: IRIN

 

NAIROBI, 16 February (IRIN) - At least 40 members of Somalia's interim government left the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday for various regions of Somalia to explain the new government's policies to the public, an official in Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi's office said.

 

The delegations, made up of five teams of ministers and members of parliament, were due to visit regions in southern and central Somalia.

 

"Teams comprising seven to eight ministers and MPs will visit the regions of Bay, Bakol, Hiran, Middle Shabelle, Galagadud and Mudug," Abdurrahman Ali "Malaysia", the special adviser to Gedi, told IRIN on Wednesday.

 

The teams will spend five days "explaining government policies and establishing a presence" in those regions, he said.

 

"Upon their return, they will report back on their impressions of what they have seen in the respective regions," he added.

 

The trip is the latest indicator that momentum is building up for the Kenya-based Somali government to return home. It is the first "bold" trip for the new government to venture into the regions, according to a Somali political source.

 

"Some of these regions have not had any contact with any form of authority" since the fall of President Muhammad Siyad Barre in 1991. "It is basically a wild west out there," the source said.

 

On 6 February, 50 MPs of the 275-strong Parliament left Nairobi for the Somali capital, Mogadishu, to join another 30 who arrived in the city on 3 February.

 

The second group of parliamentarians, led by Speaker Sharif Hassan Shaykh Aden, included some cabinet ministers. They received a rousing welcome from the public and a show of support from militiamen allied to the country's faction leaders, according to eyewitnesses.

 

The MPs' trip to Mogadishu was also part of preparations for the return of the government to Somalia.

 

The Somali political source said if this latest trip succeeds, it would greatly advance government plans for relocation.

 

Ali said the ministers and MPs were also due to visit their native regions.

 

Gedi will "most likely be in Mogadishu by the end of this week", Ali added.

 

Military experts from various African countries are currently in the country to assess the situation ahead of the proposed deployment of a peace mission to the war-torn country.

 

The regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development, whose members are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda, sponsored two years of peace talks between various Somali clans and factions that culminated in the formation of the transitional government.

 

The new government, which includes several faction leaders, has not been able to relocate from Nairobi to Somalia, citing security considerations. However, it has come under increasing pressure from the Kenyan government and western diplomats to do so.

 

The transitional federal parliament elected Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as president on 10 October. The election marked the culmination of the two-year reconciliation conference that brought representatives from various clans and factions together.