Western nations urged to help stabilize security in Somalia

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has asked the United States and other Western powers to support the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) initiative to stabilize security in Somalia, the state-owned New Vision daily reported on Sunday.

President Museveni, who recently handed over the IGAD chairmanship to President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, was on Friday meeting an American military delegation led by Timothy Ghormley, the commandant of the combined joint task force in the Horn of Africa, at the State House in Kampala.

Museveni said the West world should trust Africa's ability to deal with its own problems, citing the example of Burundi which has stabilized after the intervention of neighboring countries.

He allayed fears that sending African troops to Somalia would escalate the problem, saying it may not be possible to stabilize Somalia without some military action.

"We need a protection force for a transitional government as it was in Burundi. We think it can be done quickly. Those warlords who refuse consensus should be suppressed," Museveni said, noting that the continued anarchy in Somalia was tantamount to genocide and the world should put an end to it.

Museveni thanked the U.S. military for its assistance in the training of the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) to fight terrorism.

Ghormley, who is leaving his post for other duties, said the main interest of the U.S. military in Africa was to suppress terrorism, eliminate landmines and render humanitarian assistance.

He hailed the UPDF for being a disciplined and determined army. "They have big hearts and are not quitters," he observed.

Source: Xinhua