IGAD calls for urgent action on Somalia


The 36th Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the IGAD Council of Ministers that convened in Addis Ababa on Tuesday to deliberate on the situation in Somalia concluded after adopting a 21-point communiqué.

Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister and current Chairperson of the IGAD Council of Ministers, Seyoum Mesfin presided over the session.
The Council heard reports presented by Kipruto arap Kirwa, the IGAD Facilitator for the Somalia Peace and National Reconciliation and by other delegates.

In the communiqué it issued at the end of the session, the council congratulated the TFG parliament for handling the recent crisis responsibly.

The council commended the TFG and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) on the agreement they signed on 15th of March to work for the peace and national reconciliation of Somalia despite enormous challenges.

The council reiterated the commitment of the member states of IGAD to work in partnership with international community and help the TFG assume full control over the territory of Somalia.

The council paid tribute to AMISOM peace keeping troops and troop contributing countries of Uganda and Burundi.

The council also called upon the UN and the international community at large to enhance assistance to AMISOM.

The council reiterated its call to the UN to assume its responsibility by deploying AU peace keeping mission in Somalia to take over from AMISOM.

The council commended the effort of the outgoing special representative of UN secretary general for Somalia and welcomed the newly appointed representative.

The council expressed appreciation for the support and assistance provided by the international community to the people and government of Somalia.

The council noted that the effort to stabilize the current situation in Somalia requires an input.

It recommended to the IGAD assembly of heads of state and government to convene an urgent extra ordinary summit at earliest opportunity to review the serious political and security development in Somalia and the region with the objective of re-engineering the whole process.