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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 20 June 2006

SOMALIA: Islamic Courts oppose proposed AU force

ADDIS ABABA, 20 Jun 2006 (IRIN) - Although Somalia’s Union of Islamic Courts has opposed the proposed deployment of an international peacekeeping force by the African Union on the grounds that it would make the country more dangerous, plans are underway to send assessment missions to the Horn of Africa nation.

"We are opposed to any form of foreign military presence in our country," said Shaykh Abdulkadir Ali, vice-chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts, on Tuesday. "There is no need for them at this time, since the warlords, who were the main obstacle to peace and security in the country, no longer pose any serious threat. With goodwill and dialogue among us [the Somalis], we can solve any remaining minor security issues on our own."

The African Union announced on Monday that it would propose sending a peacekeeping mission to the war-ravaged country. To prepare for such a mission, it is sending an assessment team to evaluate the situation on the ground.

"We agreed that priority be given to dialogue, and [this] should take place with the transitional federal institutions and all the parties in Somalia," AU Peace and Security Commissioner Saïd Djinnit told reporters in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. "We agreed to send a mission that will assess what is required for the peace-supporting mission and check the situation on the ground [...] but meanwhile the planning [for a peacekeeping force] should start."

Ali told IRIN that bringing in foreign troops is a recipe "for a new and more dangerous conflict" in Somalia. "We hope that those advocating this will think about the consequences for all," he said.

At the weekend, the courts said foreign troops from Ethiopia had already entered Somalia. The Ethiopian government accused the courts of engaging in "provocative activities" and denied the claim. "Ethiopia has absolutely nothing to do with the latest fighting in Mogadishu and other towns between the militias of the warlords and the Islamic Courts Union," said a statement from the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry on Saturday. "It has had no role at whatever stage of the crisis, from the beginning up until now."

Djinnit said the current situation in Somalia could allow the re-activation of dialogue between the various factions and lead to the revival of a peace process in the country. Speaking separately, another AU official said the assessment mission could be sent as early as next week.

The officials spoke to the press after a meeting on Somalia that was attended by representatives from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the European Union and the United Nations.

"As soon as the embargo on the arms is lifted, we are ready to send a battalion to Somalia," said the Sudanese ambassador in Ethiopia, Abduzeid El Hassan. "Uganda will be sending another battalion."

"We have reached a consensus to send an assessment team to Somalia very soon led by the AU and IGAD," said Tim Clark, European Commission head in Ethiopia. "The important element now is to have dialogue as urgently as possible to find a way out of this situation."

[ENDS]

This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2006