U.N. urges support for Somali government

A U.N.-backed group working with the transitional government in Somalia called for international support to help prop up the new regime.

Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed enjoys only fragile control over the embattled nation, struggling with nearly two decades of civil war and a lack of formal government. A strict Islamist who came to power in January, he nevertheless advocates a push toward Western powers with the hope of developing an effective state.

A U.N.-backed International Contact Group on Somalia held a two-day summit in Rome to condemn spiraling conflict in the Horn of Africa, criticizing recent rebel efforts to "overthrow the legal, legitimate and internationally recognized Somali government," the United Nations said.

A declaration from the ICG welcomed a commitment by the transitional government to work toward an inclusive stabilization effort to stimulate national reconciliation efforts.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the U.N. special envoy to Somalia, noted U.S. taxpayer money was being wasted on stabilization efforts in the country as crisis lingers, adding, "The time has come, and it is long overdue, to initiate a new approach to the crisis."

He called for the reformation of government institutions and the reconstruction of state security forces as the new government struggles to take hold.

Source: UPI