Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Briefing Security Council, Calls Somalia ‘Global Crisis’ That Can No Longer Be Ignored

Source: United Nations Security Council Date: 14 Jan 2010 SC/9844
Security Council     6259th Meeting* (PM)
Representatives of African Union, Arab League Urge No-fly Zone, Anti-piracy Actions; Stress Importance of Djibouti Process
The crisis in Somalia was no longer local or even regional, but a global one that could no longer be ignored, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's top representative in that country, said today in a briefing to the Security Council. Mr. Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative of the of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), said the county's Transitional Federal Government had made significant progress, despite repeated armed assaults by externally funded extremists attempting to overthrow it. Citing the Government's accomplishments, he said they included establishing its authority in Mogadishu, the capital; drawing up a budget; recruiting and training security forces; and keeping its political legitimacy over violent and extremist groups. The Government had remained open to all Somalis who were ready for dialogue and reconciliation, he said, adding that Somalia was moving from failed State to fragile State. The international community should overcome two main challenges, he said, describing the first as the absence of concrete commitment and determined international policy. Continued hesitation and lack of effective action had weakened the Government and encouraged the extremists, who included many foreigners whose ultimate objective was to maintain a permanent state of anarchy or to establish a militant State. Their ambitions went well beyond Mogadishu and Somalia, and posed a real threat to neighbouring countries, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) region and even distant lands.
He said the second challenge was the delay in translating international support into the necessary material assistance. Over the last 10 to 15 years, the international community had spent more than $8 billion in various forms of assistance, dealing primarily with the symptoms of the crisis, while the Government lacked the resources to fund even the most basic requirements, such as paying salaries. By contrast, its opponents and allied extremists received unlimited and unchecked financial support. ..more..Secretary-General's Special Representative, Briefing Security ...‎