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Somali Cause
1425 K Street, NW. Suite 350
Washington, D.C. 2005
Phone: (202) 285-0780
[email protected]
Somali Cause Press Statement on the Recent Somali Peace Agreement in Djibouti
Washington DC – June 16, 2008 - Despite the desirable effort by United Nations to help end the Somali crisis, the last Djibouti conference, held between May 30th and June 9th, 2008 did not address the core causes of the Somali plight. The peace agreement resulting from this effort was too vague and ambiguous. There are no concrete measurements or milestones. Also lacking is oversight and a clear mandate. However, Somali Cause:
· Welcomes the initiative and encourages the continuation of an open dialogue between the parties. Somali Cause supports the effort of the UN Special envoy to Somalia to help Somalis reconcile and urges that he be a proactive and a neutral voice on issues that pertain to Somalia.
· Draws attention to the grave consequences of these never-ending and unjustified killings, harassments, arrests, intimidations and restrictions perpetrated by the Ethiopian troops against the people of Somalia.
· Reaffirms its condemnation of Ethiopia’s illegal occupation and meddling in Somalia’s internal affairs. This has led to grave humanitarian and complex political crisis. The fact that a credible world body oversight is lacking is a serious concern.
· Demands that the international community respect the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.
· Calls for a speedy, full and unconditional withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces from all Somali territory.
· Calls for a rapid deployment of a neutral UN forces with a clear mandate and schedule. It’s vitally important for these neutral peacekeeping forces to help create an environment that is favorable to real political negotiations, and bargaining between the parties.
· Calls for a genuine Somali national reconciliation conference. Care should be given in choosing a truly neutral venue. This conference has to be led by an unbiased and independent body or group. All Somali stakeholders must participate to attain a lasting peace.
· Stresses the need to establish an international war crimes tribunal to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes committed during the current occupation and in the warlord era of Somalia.
· Warns that the divide and rule approach adopted and used by the international community may lead to another brutal and bloody war. The tactical approach to the reconciliation process should be guided by principle of Somali unity rather than creating further divisions.
Somali Cause appeals to the United States Government to use its political and diplomatic influence to quickly end the illegal Ethiopian occupation of Somalia and to stop the suffering of the Somali people as expressed by the joint peace agreement. Somali Cause would like to reiterate the need for United Nations to play a dominant role in this crisis as the local neighboring countries and African intergovernmental organizations, AU &
IGAD, are either inept or lack the political understanding and/or the will to address the dilemma faced by East Africa.
Somali Cause would like to underline the importance of having a clear mandate for any peace-keeping force that is to be dispatched. The rules of engagement and processes of disarmament would have to be clearly defined with the assurance that no one group feels threatened and/or marginalized.
Despite the difficult situation in Somalia, Somali Cause is determined to work with the International Community in ending the Ethiopian occupation of Somalia, safeguarding the unity and territorial integrity of Somalia, facilitating an all inclusive political settlement and bringing to justice everyone who committed war crimes against the civilian population in Somalia.
Abdulkadir Abdirahman
Somali Cause, Chairman
Somali Cause is a coalition of eight grassroots Somali organizations in North America, united to: (a) Work to end the Ethiopian occupation of Somalia and its replacement with Muslim & non-frontline troops with a clear mandate, (b) Educate the world about the plight of the Somali people, (c) Provide humanitarian assistance to the suffering people of Somalia, (d) Provide an alternative to the clan and regional based politics, and (e) Safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.
Member organizations include:
1. Alliance for Peace and Development (AFPD), Columbus, OH
2. Baltimore Somali Community, Baltimore, MD
3. Greater Boston Somali Community, Boston, MA
4. Somali American Peace Council (SAPC), Washington DC
5. Somali Canadian Diaspora Alliance (SCDA), Toronto, Canada
6. Somali Diaspora Network (SDN), Fairfax, VA
7. Somali Institute for Peace and Justice (SIPJ), Minneapolis, MN
8. United Somali Diaspora (USD), Minneapolis, MN