Hiiraan Online

Leicester, England, April 6-8 

Communiqué 

1. Reaffirm the sanctity and inviolability of the unity and territorial integrity of the Somali Republic;
2. Demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Ethiopian troops from all areas of the Somali Republic;
3. Condemn the illegal Ethiopian invasion and occupation of the sovereign state of the Somali Republic;
4. Condemn the raping, looting, torturing, renditions, indiscriminate shelling of civilian populated areas, hospitals and markets, and other atrocities the Ethiopian invaders have committed and continue to commit in their barbaric invasion and occupation of the Somali Republic;
5. Demand the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to investigate the atrocities Ethiopia has committed against the Somali people in carrying out its illegal invasion and occupation of the Somali Republic;
6. Condemn Ethiopia’s inhuman obstruction of humanitarian relief and aid to the victims of the occupation;
7. Support morally and materially the legitimate resistance of the Somali people against the Ethiopian occupiers of their country;
8. Appeal to all patriotic Somalis and other peace and justice loving peoples of the world to extend material and moral support to the Somali people in their legitimate struggle to free their country from Ethiopian occupation;
9. Deplore the indifference and silence evinced by the International Community towards the brutal Ethiopian invasion and occupation of a sovereign United Nations member state, in clear violation of the United Nations Charter and International Law;
10. Call on the peoples of the Horn of Africa to turn away from strife and conflict, and to work towards peaceful resolution of outstanding differences, and towards peaceful neighbourly coexistence and mutual respect.
11. Decry some governments’ egregious attempts to justify the Ethiopia invasion and occupation of the Somali Republic under the pretext of fighting terrorism;
12. Acknowledge the patriotic work that the Union of Islamic Courts and its affiliates had accomplished in restoring peace and tranquillity in the Southern Regions of the Somali Republic during their short tenure.
13. Underscore the illegitimacy of the Transitional Federal Government as evidenced by its subservience to Ethiopia;
14. Denounce the illegitimate dismissal of the Speaker of the Somali Transitional Parliament, Shariif  Hassan Sheikh Aden, and demand his immediate reinstatement;
15. Reaffirm the need for a true and transparent Somali reconciliation lead by independent mediators and held at a neutral venue where the participants feel safe, and can express their views without fear of intimidation or retaliation;
16. Establish an adhoc committee whose main task is to form a national political organization for the liberation and restoration of the Somali state;
17. Commit ourselves to facilitating the emergence of a capable, legitimate and inclusive Somali government that adheres to the Islamic values and traditions of the Somali people.

The three above mentioned entities (representatives of Somali Diaspora communities, representatives of the Union of Islamic Courts, and members of the Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic) do solemnly agree to collaborate and work together to liberate the Somali Republic from Ethiopian occupation by any means possible.

Source: Somali Diaspora Conference