Kenya’s special envoy to Somalia, Elijah Mwangale, said yesterday that Somali warlords attending the Eldoret peace talks have shown signs of ending the 11-year civil war.
According to the East African Standard, Mwangale said "Somalia is likely to return to civilian rule soon after the warlords sign a peace agreement," he said.
The Somali delegates are attending talks organized by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development which are also attended by the United Nations, European Union and the Arab League.
Media reports said that the participants are currently studying a draft proposal presented to them by IGAD’s technical committee.
The draft includes procedural rules and a declaration concerning the termination of hostilities. Participants were expected to reduce the number of delegates from 600 to 300. Delegations in Eldoret include those of the Mogadishu-based Transitional National Government, the autonomous region of Puntland, the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council, the Kismayo-based Juba Valley Alliance, several Mogadishu warlords and prominent civilian personalities. The talks were officially opened by President Daniel arap Moi of Kenya last week.
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IGAD Executive Secretary Attallah H. Bashir has called for the involvement of women in the Somali peace talks. Bashir said Somali women should be involved in developing the agenda for peace and reconstruction following the country’s civil war.
He issued the call during a seminar for Somali women delegates who are attending the present Somalia peace talks. The IGAD Secretariat Women’s Desk and the UNDevelopment Fund organized the seminar, bringing together women from all over the country. The seminar aims at elaborating a common agenda for peace and developing other strategies.
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The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator’s Office for Somalia has urged Somali representatives to adopt humanitarian principles at the present peace talks. "With hundreds of thousands of Somalis in desperate need of food, water, shelter and basic security, respect for humanitarian principles, human rights, and humanitarian access in order to assist vulnerable communities is imperative. It is important that the Somali leaders who gathered in Eldoret understand their responsibilities in this key area," the statement on Monday said, adding that the UN promotes respect for humanitarian principles in every forum.
The UN calls on Somalis to guarantee all the rights and freedoms laid down in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Conventions on the Rights of the Child and all relevant international legal instruments pertaining to human rights, refugees, displaced persons and humanitarian law.
— 24 October 2002
