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Somalia: Ban Ki-moon says time has come to 'seize the moment to end the bloodshed'

4 January 2007 – Urging parties in Somalia and the international community to “seize the moment to end the bloodshed,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed indications that some African countries can deploy peacekeepers there while calling on the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to reach out to other groups, and on all neighbouring States to respect Somali sovereignty.

In a statement released by his spokesman, the Secretary-General said “a new opportunity may exist for the Transitional Federal Government to establish its full authority.”

Welcoming recent announcements by some African countries of their readiness to deploy peacekeepers to the protection and training mission decided upon by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU), he voiced hope that this mission “can be put in place as quickly as possible.”

He urged the transitional authorities to reach out to other groups in the country, with the aim of fostering dialogue and engaging in an all-inclusive political process that can lead to stability, peace and reconciliation,” spokesperson Michele Montas said in New York.

Welcoming Ethiopia’s stated intention to withdraw its forces expeditiously, the Secretary-General called on all States in the region “to respect Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.”

Mr. Ban also called on “all Somali parties and the international community to seize the current moment and do their utmost to end the heavy loss of life, displacement and suffering that have plagued the country.” He restated the UN’s commitment to help “build a country based on human rights and respect for the rule of law.”

In a letter to the Security Council late last year regarding the Peacekeeping Mission of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Somalia, known as IGASOM, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan said although two countries had shown initial interest, they apparently changed their positions as fighting intensified.

He wrote in the letter dated 28 December that “while Uganda and the Sudan had initially indicated their willingness to provide the first two battalions for IGASOM, the Sudan has recently voiced its opposition to the intervention of foreign troops in Somalia, while Uganda has expressed reluctance to deploy its troops in Somalia in the absence of a secure environment.”

The Security Council authorized IGASOM’s establishment on 6 December with an initial six-month mandate.