JEDDAH, 14 July 2003 — UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that efforts to initiate new programs and maintain the pace of existing humanitarian assistance activities for the needy Somali people may be jeopardized if the modest requirements of a 2003 Consolidated Appeal are not met in a timely manner.
In his assessment report on the situation in Somalia, Annan noted that “to achieve peace and stability in Somalia, the international community needs to remain fully engaged.
“Although dismally low, human development index figures in Somalia have remained steady for the past several years, indicating the positive effect of humanitarian and development assistance.”
He expressed fears that without increased and sustained donor commitment, the outlook for Somalia remains grim.
Any reduction in existing efforts, both for short-term relief and for the medium to long term, could upset the precarious balance achieved, with devastating effects, particularly on women and children, he said. The UN chief, in his report, called on donors not to let the demands of other crises negatively affect the outlook for Somalia.
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According to Mogadishu’s Radio Banadir, the first humanitarian and commercial aircraft from Kenya landed on Tuesday in various cities in central and southern Somalia.
It was reported that Somalis welcomed the opening of the airspace.
The effects of the flight ban started biting with air operators and traders reporting loss of millions of shillings.
Businessmen from both countries have been using flights for their import and export activities. International aid agencies have also used the airspace between two countries since the downfall of the Somali government in 1991.
Kenya closed the airspace, and banned flights to and from Somalia two weeks ago over concerns about terrorist threats. International aid agencies urged the Kenyan government to lift the ban on humanitarian flights to and from Somalia.
The agencies said in statement the ban was severely hampering the provision of humanitarian assistance to Somali people. UNICEF estimates that some two-thirds of an estimated 6.5 million people in central and southern Somalia are dependent on direct flights from Kenya
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Warlord Muse Sudi Yalahow, who controls parts of the capital Mogadishu, has rejected the agreement signed by the delegates to the Somali peace talks in Kenya on June 5 to set up a federal government.
Representatives from 20 factions and the TNG are currently participating in the talks.
He said the reason he opposed the agreement was that his faction was not involved and was not bound by it.
“We will not recognize it since we have nothing to do with its inception. They just announced it,” Yalahow told reporters on Tuesday.
Transitional National Government President Abdi Qassim Salad Hassan has also rejected the agreement.
He said it would divide the country and the TNG would not be party to a process that was flawed and aimed at the dismemberment of Somalia.
