The UN envoy for Somalia on Tuesday called for unity and solidarity in the war-ravaged African nation, saying there is renewed hope for the international community to help stabilize the country.
Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, called on the Somali elites to help reconstruct the country and warned spoilers to stop their destructive behaviour.
"It's very difficult for Somalis to embrace change but I see the beginning of change in Somalia due to renewed interest by the international community," Ould-Abdallah told journalists in Nairobi.
He urged the Somali elites to help chart the way forward for Somalia.
"It will not be business as usual in Somalia. Many conferences have been held to help stabilize the country. Maybe other people will convene them but I will not be party to it, horse trading must stop," the UN envoy warned.
He called for unity among all the people of the war-torn nation in the wake of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's resignation from office, which he called a "patriotic and courageous" decision.
"It is my understanding that this is the first time in Somalia's modern history that a president has decided to leave office peacefully. It is a patriotic and courageous decision," said Ould-Abdallah.
President Yusuf formally announced his resignation late in December in a statement before the Parliament and cabinet members present in Baidoa.
Ould-Abdallah said a new page of Somali history is now open, noting that now is the time for Somalia's friends to help the country.
"Somalis must start respecting themselves by shunning impunity in order to be part of the international community. The future of Somalia lies with the elites who must charter the way forward. The situation is difficult but manageable," he said.
"Somalia has been hijacked by its own elites. It's their responsibility to make a fresh start. Somalis are no worse than the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone and it's possible to overcome this long-term conflict."
The upsurge in fighting this year in Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government since 1991, has led to massive humanitarian suffering and widespread displacement.
The violence has continued despite the signing in June of last year of a UN-facilitated peace accord, known as the Djibouti Agreement, by the transitional government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS). Both sides agreed to end their conflict and called on the UN to deploy an international stabilization force to the troubled nation.
The UN envoy suggested the strengthening, through financing, logistical support, necessary training, equipment and other reinforcements facilitated by the UN and Member States, of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Ould-Abdallah said he is finding it difficult to address Somali conflict from neighboring Kenya and called on the United Nations to set up a proper working base inside Somalia in order to help stabilize the country.
He said the UN is planning to move its Somalia operation from neighboring Kenya where it is now based. But Ould-Abdallah who did not say when the operations will be moved to Mogadishu. Given the escalation of violence in Somalia, the move could involve creating a fortified, walled-off area like the Green Zone in Baghdad used by U.S.-led forces.
Source:Xinhua
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