 Monday, 29 September 2008 | |
 Ethiopian Diplomatic Mission,
The Extra-ordinary meeting of the IGAD Council of Ministers held at the Ethiopian diplomatic mission in New York on 24th September 2008 adopted the following communiqué. |
On the situation in Somalia
Council:
2. Welcomes the agreement signed between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) on 19th August 2008 in Djibouti;
3. Welcomes further the outcome of the second round of meeting of the High Level Committee and the Joint Security Committee held in Djibouti from September 17 to 21, 2008, and noted in particular the agreement between the TFG and the ARS to continue with the political dialogue to address issues such as the institutional capacity building, constitution, humanitarian issues and recovery, reconstruction and development;
4. Expresses its support to the decisions reached between the TFG and the ARS to jointly develop viable military technical modalities for the implementation of the ceasefire; and to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access and assistance to the affected population
5. Notes with appreciation the Understanding reached in Addis Ababa on the 25th August 2008 among the Somali Transitional Federal Institutions and expresses its regrets that the agreement has not been implemented;
6. Decides to convene during the first week of October 2008 in Nairobi an Extra-ordinary meeting of the IGAD Council of Ministers and invite the President of the TFG H.E. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the Speaker of the TFP H.E. Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe, the Prime Minister of the TFG H.E. Nur Hassen Hussein as well as the members of the Transitional Federal Parliament to discuss as a matter of urgency the prevailing political and security situation in Somalia;
7. Notes further the Communiqué issued on the 16th September 2008 in Djibouti by the International Contact Group on Somalia, and stresses the need to back the recommendation and decision contained in the communiqué with concrete political and financial support especially with regards to the convening of an international conference on the reconstruction and development of Somalia;
8. Strongly condemns the attacks perpetrated by armed elements against AMISOM and humanitarian workers as well as all other acts of violence aimed at undermining the on-going peace process in Somalia and creating further instability in the region as a whole;
9. Expresses its profound appreciation to AMISOM and the troop contributing countries of Uganda and Burundi and calls upon other African countries to heed to the call of the African Union by providing troops to raise AMISOM to the required strength;
10.Urges the international community to assist the peace making effort of the AU by providing the necessary financial, material and technical assistance to AMISOM, and in this regard underlines the importance of enhancing security on the ground as a necessary condition to speed up the on- going reconciliation effort between the TFG and ARS;
11.Calls Upon the UN Security Council to accord high priority to the preparation and urgent deployment of the UN peace keeping troops to Somalia based on its earlier decisions and taking into account the achievements obtained so far on the political front;
12. Notes with serious concern the escalating acts of piracy along the coastlines of Somalia calls upon the international community to take an urgent and concerted action to safeguard the maritime safety of the region; and condemns these criminal acts in the strongest terms, and
13.Urges the international community to alleviate the unprecedented suffering of the people of Somalia by providing adequate humanitarian assistance and putting in place mechanisms for the speedy and unhindered distribution to the affected population.
Source: IGAD, Sept 30, 2008