Briefing to the Security Council consultations
on Somalia - New York 10 March, 2006 ..............................................................................................
Thank you, Mr. President, Distinguished members of the Council,
1. Before introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia (S/2006/122), I would like to thank members of the Security Council and the international community represented in Nairobi for their individual and collective cooperation with my efforts to advance the cause of peace and reconciliation in Somalia.
Mr. President,
2. As we reported to the Council in November, the year 2005 should have been the first year of transition for Somalia. Instead, it was a time of protracted political impasse due to differences within the Transitional Federal Institutions. Today, we are pleased to report on a series of positive development that are improving the prospects for peace and reconciliation in Somalia.
3. First among these developments was the signing of the Aden Declaration on 5 January 2006, by President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and the Speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, in which they agreed to end their differences, abide by the Transitional Federal Charter and convene a meeting of the Transitional Federal Parliament. My Office publicly welcomed that Declaration on behalf of the United Nations, as did the European Union and the United States.
4. After intensive consultations, the Speaker announced on 30 January that the first extraordinary session of the Transitional Federal Parliament would be held inside Somalia - in Baidoa - on 26 February 2006. That announcement was endorsed by President Abdullahi Yusuf on the same occasion. Prime Minister Gedi, who initially voiced reservations about the venue, on security grounds, later assured me when we visited him in Jowhar on 1 February together with representatives of the international community, that he would support this initiative.
5. After a series of meetings, the President, the Speaker and the Prime Minister, issued a Memorandum Of Understanding from Galkayo in which they agreed to work together to implement the Aden Declaration, beginning with the convening of parliament as planned. This Memorandum demonstrated their resolve to re-establish functioning institutions in Somalia and foster peace and reconciliation throughout the country.
6. In the meantime, unprecedented initiatives were launched in Baidoa by the local community and especially the elders, with the cooperation of all the faction leaders, to promote local reconciliation and to demilitarize and secure the city in preparation for the parliamentary session. These efforts, together with the resolve of the President, Speaker, and Prime Minister and the prompt financial and logistical support of the international community, culminated in the historic first session of the Transitional Federal Parliament inside the country.
7. The opening session was attended by 211 of the 275 members of parliament, demonstrating a remarkable level of commitment to peace and reconciliation. There was strong representation from the international community and the President of Yemen, Ali Abdallah Salah, addressed the parliament via telephone, encouraging everyone to sustain the process.
8. While conciliatory statements were made by all Somali leaders, President Yusuf’s speech was particularly forward-looking. He outlined, for parliament’s consideration, an agenda which included issues related to national security and confidence building, support for international agreements and treaties, and internal revenue generation.
9. The session of parliament has the potential to put Somalia’s political process back on track. While internally driven by the leaders of the Somali Transitional Federal Institutions, the gains made in Baidoa would not have been possible without persistent pressure from the international community and the Somali people for the leadership to pursue reconciliation through dialogue. The President himself acknowledged this fact in his parliamentary address.
10. In my address to the opening session of Parliament, we noted that the collective efforts of the international community must now be directed towards ensuring that Somali parliamentarians seize this moment and opportunity to address some of the priority issues facing the country. These include: national security, reconciliation, revenue collection, and the need to establish basic social services for the population at large. Our hope is that the members of parliament they will use this session to create an environment conducive to peace and stability in their country.
11. At the request of the President, the members of parliament took a week off to conduct informal consultations to view to building confidence among them. The formal session was resumed on 6 March and the parliamentarians have already established some 14 parliamentary sub-committees.
Mr. President,
12. While we have been encouraged by signs of a new beginning in Somalia, the situation in Mogadishu continues to be of serious concern. On 16 February, a group of faction leaders and prominent businessmen in Mogadishu, including some holding ministerial portfolios in the Transitional Federal Government, formed the “Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism” with the stated goal of restoring peace and fighting international terrorism by eliminating those they described as foreign terrorists and their supporters. This ‘Alliance’, however, quickly became involved in a series of confrontations with the Islamic Shariah Court militias and a clash between 18 and 20 February resulted in heavy loss of life, including civilians caught in the crossfire.
13. There has been a steady increase in extremist activities, including assassinations, over a period of several months and the newly created ‘alliance’ to fight Islamist militias has added to the general insecurity in Mogadishu. Since the core of the Islamist militias belong to the Haber-Gedir Ayr sub-clan of the Hawiye, the fighting has drawn in powerful elements of the Ayr who are not Islamists. The Ayr, which constitute the dominant sub-clan in the area around Mogadishu as well as the Lower Shabelle and Lower Juba areas, view the new ‘alliance’ as a threat to their dominance. There is evidence that the former pro-TFG and anti-TFG faction leaders from other Hawiye sub-clans are now uniting against the Islamist militias and their Ayr supporters. However, a power struggle against the Ayr and some Islamists on the one side and the Mogadishu-based faction leaders on the other, is bound to have serious security and political implications inside the capital and well beyond.
14. The increased tension in Mogadishu is the most serious, but not the only, security concern today. Long-standing clan and sub-clan disputes have been exacerbated by drought-related clashes over scarce water, land, grazing rights and other resources.
15. Piracy is another area of concern. About 50 vessels were attacked during 2005 and the hijacking of ships continues. Crews and cargoes have been captured and held for ransom. One humanitarian food ship was detained for an extended period and the resulting insecurity at sea and fears also for the security of land convoys, have inhibited drought relief efforts. Also of deep humanitarian concern is the continued smuggling of Somalis and other refugee nationals to Yemen. This traffic of men, women and children, has been accompanied by cruel abuses, including abandonment and drowning at sea.
16. The Transitional Federal Institutions must find ways of addressing these and other security issues within the framework of a National Security and Stabilization Plan, and a national Demobilization, Disarmament and Rehabilitation (DDR) plan. These plans would provide frameworks for a comprehensive reform of the security sector. In order to coordinate the necessary support, UNPOS has set up a Security Sector Technical Working Group which seeks to galvanize international assistance for the effort and to encourage the Somali authorities to move towards development of a National Security plan.
Mr. President,
17. Council Members will recall that during the last briefing we reported that we had written to President Museveni of Uganda (Chair of IGAD) and President Kibaki of Kenya encouraging them to convene an IGAD Summit to support the peace process that began with the Mbagathi Agreement in 2004. The Security Council, in its presidential statement of 9 November 2005, commended neighbouring countries and regional organizations, including IGAD and AU, for their efforts and urged them to use their influence to move the peace process forward. I am pleased to report today that IGAD will hold its Summit in Nairobi on 20 March. This will be preceded by the 25th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers on 17 and 18 March. These meetings are expected to provide opportunities for IGAD to review the situation in Somalia and recommend concrete measures to support the political process. The renewed commitment of IGAD in the Somali peace process is a welcome development that the Security Council should continue to encourage.
Mr. President,
18. Somalia’s history has shown us that the political and security implications of a humanitarian emergency cannot be overemphasized. The current drought in the region is the most serious in a decade, affecting six other countries in East Africa. Some 1.7 million Somalis are currently in need of urgent humanitarian assistance – not just food aid, but other interventions, including water supply. The hardest hit areas are in southern Somalia where malnutrition rates are already unacceptably high (over 20%). The donor community has ensured funding for 66 percent of the food requirement, but a further 20,000 metric tons (worth US$15 million) are needed. This requirement may increase if the rainy season, due to begin this month, fails or falls short.
19. Council members may also recall that the UN Resident Coordinator wrote an open letter to all Somali political and militia leaders on 17 February, urging them to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to populations in need. The Council may wish to reinforce this appeal to all the Somali parties and to urge the international community to redouble its efforts and provide all necessary support to address this grave emergency.
Mr. President,
20. We would like to conclude by stating that Somalia stands at a crossroads between anarchy and chaos and the prospect of peace, reconciliation and reconstruction. That choice is with the Somalis themselves and with the special opportunities they have through the Parliamentary process now underway in Baidoa. However, the international community must help all concerned to rise to the challenge and to make the right choices along what we all know will be an arduous path towards peace, reconciliation and stability.
Thank you Mr. President |
