Thursday, June 24, 2010
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Augustine P. Mahiga
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Augustine Mahiga, Tanzania's Ambassador to the United Nations as his top envoy for Somalia. The new Special Representative for the Secretary-General and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia, UNOPS, brings many years of both government and UN experience. He tells our colleague Jocelyne Sambira how his background is pertinent to his new position.
MAHIGA: My major background started with academic, the University of Dar Es Salaam for some time. Before, I worked for the Tanzania government. But the experience that may be of direct relevance to what I will be doing in my new appointment is my work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 11 years. During that period, I stayed in Liberia and I was the coordinator and director of the Great Lakes Operation from 1994-1998. As you would see, this was just in the post genocide period in Rwanda and the biggest ever refugee crisis in Africa. But I also have had experience in other areas like India and in southern Europe and then the seven years that I have been here the United Nations for Tanzania, I led the Tanzania team to the Security Council for two years from 2005-2006 and since that time, I've been actively following this international contact group on Somalia which was formed in 2006 and I have always been interested in following what is happening in Somalia in the context of the African Union role.
SAMBIRA: Could you tell us also when we look at the Secretary-General's speech during the conference for
Somalia, he said that stabilizing Somalia inside the country was a priority. When you look at your immediate
plans, will you base yourself on that?
MAHIGA:I think the two key priorities is the political process to be inclusive and to permeate reconciliation
among the various political groups. That is one. But this is predicated upon the existence of a modicum of
security in Somalia to enable this transitional government or a government that brings in other political groupings to survive. So I would say the two go together - political stability as a result of a process of reconciliation and inclusiveness but also a security adequate to permit the government to reach out to the population and perform the functions of a government such as providing humanitarian aid and implementing some basic reconstruction activities and at some point to engage in economic and social development projects.
SAMBIRA:Where will you be based?
MAHIGA: The office is currently based in Nairobi but it is our hope and intention to be established in Somalia. Already there are plans to send some of the UN agencies in some parts of Somalia. But as the title says Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Somalia, eventually I hope that the whole office should move to Mogadishu from Nairobi.
SAMBIRA: Do you have a message for the Somali people who might be listening today?
MAHIGA: I really would want to ask for their full cooperation and support at this work. I know they are all anxious to see stability and a prosperous future for their country. I am one of the many Special epresentatives who have come and gone but I hope during my tenure we may make some significant changes to enable Somalia to enjoy well deserved peace, stability and prosperity.
SAMBIRA: And one last message to the cynics who think that there will never be peace in Somalia.
MAHIGA: I think this is far-fetched cynicism because we have seen conflict historically longer than what Somalia has gone through and every conflict has a solution and there is a silver lining to every conflict. But the underlying thing is that any conflict to be durably resolved has to pursue a peaceful path and I think this is how even the most protracted and complex conflicts in the world have at the end of the day been resolved peacefully - peaceful resolution in an inclusive way rather than through violence.
Augustine Mahiga, recently appointed UN envoy for Somalia speaking to UN Radio's Jocelyne Sambira.