JEDDAH, 17 July 2004 — The UN Security Council has welcomed steps taken by the African Union to prepare for the deployment of military monitors to Somalia, and called on Somali leaders to cooperate with the initiative, press reports said yesterday.
According to a statement by Council’s president for July Ambassador Mihnea Ioan Motoc of Romania, the Security Council condemned those who obstructed Somalia’s peace process, and warned that anyone persisting on the path of confrontation and conflict would be held accountable.
“The council recognizes that while the establishment of a transitional federal government would be an important step toward establishing sustainable peace and stability in Somalia, much effort will lie ahead if this objective is to be achieved,” Motoc said.
In a series of related provisions, the council reiterated its firm support for the reconciliation process and the ongoing Somali peace talks in Kenya.
The council also expressed concern over the continuing flow of weaponsinto Somalia. called on Somali leaders to facilitate the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance and to assure the safety of all international and national aid workers.
***
Max Gaylard, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, has said that emergency assistance to the country may be provided with a view to promoting long-term development.
Gaylard pointed out that while there were areas of relative stability in the country, including Somaliland in the northwest, much of the territory remains extremely volatile.
“The capital, Mogadishu, has functioning schools and factories, but in the streets it’s another story: too many young men with guns, too many militias, and too much potential conflict and tension,” he said.
He described Somalia’s social indicators on health and education as “abysmal,” noting that only one-fifth of all primary school children aged 6 to 13 were in school, with even fewer attending at the secondary level. “Just a tiny fraction,” of all Somalis go to college, he said.
Gaylard said UN humanitarian activities were aimed at promoting development and rehabilitation in the country.
“The UN has an advanced police training program in Somaliland which will soon be expanded to Puntland with the aim of training officers who can someday easily unite as one police force,” he said.
Speaking about the need to address environmental challenges facing Somalia, he said, “Drought has devastated the lives of Somali nomads and farmers, who have lost the majority of their livestock.
Whether they will ever be able to go back to the land and be on their feet is doubtful. UN is helping the Somalis to ensure that livestock are healthy enough for consumption and export.”
***
The president of regional administration of Puntland in northeastern region, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, has formed a new regional government comprising of 15 ministers, media reports said.
A statement issued by the Puntland presidency has also disclosed that the new appointments included paramilitary and administration police commanders.
Last week, Puntland’s Parliament approved a presidential decree that reduced the government’s term in office from two years to six months, starting July 1, thereby giving Ahmed powers to form a new regional government. Puntland established its regional administration in 1998 and has remained peaceful since then.
Unlike Somaliland in the northwest Puntland has not seceded from Somalia.
