PRESS CONFERENCE BY SOMALIA REPRESENTATIVES ON SITUATION IN THEIR COUNTRY

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SOMALIA REPRESENTATIVES ON SITUATION IN THEIR COUNTRY

After 15 years of war, anarchy and chaos in their country, the Permanent Representative of Somalia, Elmi Ahmed Duale, and the Deputy Permanent Representative, Idd Beddel Mohamed, made an urgent appeal today to the international community, and the media, to focus on the desperate and deteriorating situation there.

At a Headquarters press conference, Mr. Duale said, “There are many problems in this world and, unfortunately, Somalia being a small place in a small corner is not getting the desired attention we should get…  People are suffering, yet the international community does not seem to be very much engaged.”

The plea by both representatives came days after the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi of Somalia, and the attack on an American cruise ship off the Somali Coast by pirates.

The representatives said a new Government had been formed in Somalia late last year and a new constitution approved, but warlords, militias and religious groups continued to thrive.  Those who benefited from the chaos and violence had all the weapons and they were determined to maintain their power.  The problem was so bad, the new transitional Government had to temporarily move from Mogadishu to Jowhar to escape the violence.

When asked by a reporter what countries, if any, had offered their support, Mr. Duale said many countries had offered logistical support and Member States of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and the African Union had offered to send peacekeeping troops.

Responding to a question on whether the transitional Government had any plans to give militia members an alternative to what they were doing, Mr. Duale said a programme was established to set up training camps and disarm them.  The militia members could either be absorbed into the police force, or trained in other professions.  But that was not currently possible because there was an arms embargo.

They said Security Council was waiting for a detailed plan from the African Union, before it would consider lifting the embargo, but the plan had not yet been created.  Somalia was not asking the Council to automatically lift the embargo, but to give exemption to the transitional Government, the IGAD States, the African Union and the League of Arab States who intended to deploy a force needed to create law and order in Somalia.

When asked if the arms would go to a Somali force or an outside force, Mr. Mohamed said it wasn’t just arms, but the training of an entire police force that was needed.  A security apparatus needed to be built to create law and order, and to make sure Somalia did not become a haven of international terrorism.

The Prime Minister had appealed to the international community and to the African Union to help put together a police force along the long Somali coast, so that pirates could not attack ships.  But it depended on the African Union, because the Somali Government had no means to implement it.  Somalia was now an international problem.  “We have meagre resources, there are a lot of militias in the country, the international community is not willing to engage and the Security Council is even reluctant to put Somalia on its agenda, even though it poses a threat to international peace and security”, Mr. Mohamed said.

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For information media • not an official record