Somali conflict a major concern to African states

The Somali conflict is a major concern not only to the horn of Africa states but the whole continent.
Of the East African states, Kenya continues to shoulder the heaviest responsibility, hosting large numbers of refugees and insecurity threat due increased cases of piracy and influx of small arms and the growing terrorism threats, President Kibaki said.

The remarks were made on the president’s behalf by Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula, on Thursday, in New York at a Mini-Summit on Somalia held on the sidelines of the 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The President said while the international community delayed action on the war-torn country, extremists extended control over a large swathe of Somalia, inflicting casualties every day.
“While the scale and magnitude of this problem is greater than any other, it suffers benign neglect from the international community, leading to many lost opportunities to resolve it,” President Kibaki said.
The Head of State noted the capacity of the militant group, Al-Shabaab, to cause harm beyond the borders of Somalia was demonstrated by the twin Kampala bomb-attacks in July this year.
Said President Kibaki, “Their capacity to inflict casualties on civilians and humanitarian actors as well as attack the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is growing by the day.”
The head of state said Somalia was at a critical period with only 11 months remaining before the end of the transition period, calling for a renewed impetus to prepare institutions as well as the ground for a new political dispensation in the war ravaged country.
During the occasion, President Kibaki commended the governments of Uganda and Burundi for their continued sacrifices and contribution to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
AMISOM has continued to play a major role in the country by safeguarding vital installations in Mogadishu under difficult circumstates. African Union is pushing for an additional 20,000 troops and transforming the AMISOM into a UN peacekeeping mission.

“This is evidenced by among others the recent attempts to attack the airport that left two AMISOM soldiers dead and scores injured,” President Kibaki said, in his support for more troops.
He said there was an urgent need to extend support to the Transitional Federal Government, to bolster its presence and effectiveness countrywide.
“In July of this year, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Summit identified critical elements of engagement and took a number of decisions on the way forward.

These decisions were endorsed by the African Union Summit in Kampala in July 2010. Unfortunately, the support needed to implement these decisions by the international community has not been forthcoming,” the President said referring to the reluctance by some Western countries to engage Somalia.

Additional reporting by Jeff Otieno

Source: Rge East African