Turkish Weekly
Thursday, May 12, 2011
The Council Wednesday said the lack of stability in Somalia has led to terrorism, piracy and a dire humanitarian situation.
Earlier, officials in Somalia's Puntland region said at least 26 people died in fighting between government soldiers and Islamist insurgents.
Witnesses say Islamist fighters attacked Puntland troops in the Gal Gala area before dawn Wednesday. Gal Gala is located about 40 kilometers southwest of Bosasso, the commercial capital of the semi-autonomous Puntland region.
The 15-member Security Council also said it regrets the decision by Somalia's parliament to unilaterally extend its mandate for three more years. And the Council expressed concern at the tension between the executive and legislative branches of the Somali transitional government.
The U.N.'s top envoy for Somalia said the power struggle between the branches is causing a political paralysis in Mogadishu.
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has been engaged in a very public power struggle with the speaker of parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.
The two men and their allies disagree on when to hold elections, and likely will square off in the contest for president whenever elections are held.
Somalia's government recently launched an offensive aimed at driving back Islamic militants, and has made significant gains in the capital, Mogadishu, and parts of the south.
However, Al-Shabab militants still control large sections of southern and central Somalia. The militant group is trying to overthrow the United Nations-backed government and impose a harshly conservative form of Islamic law across Somalia.
Source: Turkish Weekly