Attack on Somali Prime Minister Condemned

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Nairobi - 7 November 2005: The United Nations Political Office for Somalia has condemned the assassination attempt against Somali Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Gedi on Sunday (6 November) in Mogadishu.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia (SRSG), Francois Lonseny Fall, called Prime Minister Gedi immediately after learning of the attack and expressed relief that the PM had escaped unharmed from the assault on his convoy. Ambassador Fall, who is in New York this week to brief the Security Council on the situation in Somalia, also expressed his condolences to the Prime Minister and to the families of those who were killed or injured in the attack.

Ambassador Fall's Deputy, Mr. Babafemi Badejo said he was relieved the Prime Minister had escaped harm, but saddened by the loss of life and injuries suffered by those in his entourage. “These continued acts of violence are to be condemned,” he said. They are an assault on the peace process and on the hopes of the Somali people for an end to 14 years of insecurity.”

The United Nations is leading international efforts to find a peaceful solution to differences within the Somali Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs). Those differences include the location of the TFIs. President Yusuf and Prime Minister Gedi have relocated to Jowhar, maintaining that Mogadishu is insecure. The Speaker of the Parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, some cabinet members and a number of Parliamentarians, insist that Mogadishu is safe and that the Government belongs there. Ambassador Fall has urged all Cabinet Ministers to enter into a dialogue that will move them closer to reconciliation.

The Security Council last month expressed its deep concern about the persistent state of insecurity in Somalia and the absence of political dialogue. The Council also urged the international community and neighbouring countries to continue to support an inclusive political dialogue among the TFI leaders.

For more information please contact: UN Political Office for Somalia(Nairobi, Kenya) Tel. +254 20 762 21 31 Please visit: www.UN-Somalia.org