UN Special Representative for Somalia Meets in Mogadishu with President Abdullahi Yusuf and Civil Society Representatives

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Mogadishu, 18 January - The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, traveled to Mogadishu today for wide-ranging discussions on the present and future challenges to peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia. He met with President Abdullahi Yusuf at Villa Somalia and later with representatives of civil society.

“The current situation presents a rare opportunity for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to extend its authority and enhance its credibility with the Somali people,” Ambassador Fall said, adding that there were many questions about Somalia’s prospects.

He said that there was much that the TFG could do to strengthen its effectiveness and authority in the country and he had addressed these issues in his meeting at Villa Somalia today with the President.

“The TFG should work to establish an effective administration at district and regional levels,” he said. “This will help to avoid a power vacuum in the areas it holds. In the process, it should avoid the reinstallation of former warlords who have lost credibility nationally and within the International Community.”

Ambassador Fall said that the dialogue for peace and reconciliation should embrace all national stakeholders. “These must include clan and religious leaders, the business community, women’s groups and other representatives of civil society – everyone who has expressed their commitment to peace and reconciliation in keeping with the principles of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Charter.”

Ambassador Fall noted that the Prime Minister of Ethiopia had in recent days, repeated his wish to withdraw troops from the country expeditiously and that Kenya, as Chair of IGAD, this week reported that several African countries had expressed their intention to join Uganda in providing forces for a peace support and training mission.

“I hope this will happen quickly and that an African Union and IGAD force can take on the role of protecting the TFG and training its army,” Ambassador Fall said. “I am hopeful that the international community will also come in behind these efforts with the necessary funding and technical support for the operation.”

Ambassador Fall encouraged representatives of civil society to help build a conducive atmosphere for an inclusive dialogue towards reconciliation.

“Civil Society has an especially important role to play in Somalia’s revival today,” he said. “Its actions can reach beyond clan and personal interests and promote the well-being of all Somalis.”

Ambassador Fall also appealed to all parties to recognize that the current conflict had imposed an additional humanitarian burden on the civilian population.

“Many thousands of people are in desperate circumstances, including some 440,000 people displaced by flooding in the south,” he said. The United Nations needs secure access to meet their needs. These people need our help and they need it now.”

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