U.S. Will Push U.N. for Somalia Mission

Sunday, 14 December 2008 SMC

UNITED NATIONS -- The Bush administration will mount a last-ditch push this week to muster international backing for a relatively small U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia, in an effort to help stem piracy and prevent the resurgence of Islamist militants in the lawless East African nation, according to State Department officials.

The initiative -- which Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will raise at a high-level United Nations meeting on piracy here Tuesday -- comes as the U.S.-backed Ethiopian military is preparing to withdraw its forces from Somalia at the end of the month, raising concerns that Islamist militants may seize control of Mogadishu for the second time in less than three years.

But the U.S. plan faces deep skepticism from the U.N. leadership and key European governments, which fear that a U.N. peacekeeping mission would lack the firepower and troops needed to succeed in Somalia.

Meanwhile, the commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, cast doubt on the wisdom of a separate U.S. plan to seek U.N. approval for commando raids against pirates on Somali soil, saying the possibility of inflicting civilian casualties "cannot be overestimated," according to the Associated Press.


France, Britain and Russia are resisting the U.S. peacekeeping proposal, arguing that there is no peace to keep in Somalia. "It's hard to see it happening," a European official said. "We can see a case for a peacekeeping force to back a peace process, though it's not clear you have a viable peace process."

The United States has already begun informal negotiations on a resolution that would authorize the transformation of the existing African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) -- which includes 3,400 Burundian and Ugandan peacekeepers -- into a somewhat larger U.N. mission. The peacekeepers would be restricted to Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia, according to U.S. officials.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon concluded last month that even a larger and better-equipped U.N. peacekeeping force of 22,000 blue helmets would not be capable of stabilizing Somalia and that a much more powerful multinational force was needed.

But a spokeswoman from the U.S. mission to the United Nations, Nicole Deaner, rejected Ban's proposal Friday, saying it is not a "viable option" since no country is prepared to lead or finance such a mission. "AMISOM is an effective peacekeeping force and will provide a good starting place in developing and deploying a future U.N. mission," she said.

In an effort to bolster its case, the United States has warned that Ethiopia will delay its departure from Somalia only if such a peacekeeping force is approved. U.S. officials say they hope the resolution could be adopted in weeks but acknowledge that its passage is uncertain.

The Bush administration has received support from China and key African countries, including South Africa, which have pressed the United Nations to mount a large new peacekeeping mission in Somalia. "All the experts who know Somalia say the chance of everything falling apart is great," said South Africa's U.N. ambassador, Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo. "Unless something is done immediately, the radical Islamic groups will be running Mogadishu again tomorrow with very harsh Islamic principles that they want to impose."

The prospect of a resurgence by Somali Islamists, who briefly controlled Mogadishu until they were driven out by Ethiopian troops in December 2006, would represent a blow to Bush's counterterrorism strategy in Africa.

The Islamist insurgents, known as al-Shabaab, have been gaining strength, drawing support from Somalis who resent Ethiopia's military occupation. Al-Shabaab, or "the Youth," has local roots, but it has received backing from Ethiopia's regional rival, Eritrea, and has established links with al-Qaeda representatives outside the country.

Source: Washington post

Somaliweyn Media Center “SMC”

Arabic News Today's News 12-Dec -2008 القوات الإثيوبية تشن هجوما علي معقل القوات الإسلامية في إقليم شبلي السفلي (Read more) 12-Dec- 2008 أربعة جرحي جراء انفجار قنبلة بمركز للشرطة في مدينة أفقوي (Read more) 12-Dec- 2008 Today's News 10-Dec -2008 مقتل تسعين إثيوبيان علي يد جبهة تحرير أوغادينيا بعد أن أحرقت مركز هذه القوات في محافظة ورطير في إقليم أوغادينيا (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 وفد لرفيع المستوي من تحالف من أجل التحرير بقيادة الشيخ شريف يصل إلي مقديشوا (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Today's News 7-Dec -2008 انفجار ضخم تتعرض له القوات الإثيوبية أثناء مغادرتها لبور هكبه في إقليم باي وبكول الصومالي (Read more) 7-Dec- 2008 رئيس الوزراء الصومالي نور حسن حسين يصل إلي مدينة بيطوة قادما من جيبوتي (Read more) 7-Dec- 2008 Today's News 6-Dec -2008 اندلاع إشتباكات بين قوات الإسلامية وجبهة تحرير أوغاد ينيا في جوبا السفلي (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 مقتل أربعة وإصابة ستة آخرين من بينهم مسؤلين أمنيين في قوات الأمن الصومالية في عمليات اغتيال مختلفة (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 القوات الإسلامية تهاجم معقل القوات الإثيوبية في الشارع الصناعي (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 حركات إسلامية تتقاتل في إقليم قلقذود في شمال الصومال (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 Today's News 4-Dec -2008 رئيس الجمهورية والجنرال عده موسي يصلان إلي جيبوتي في زيارة مفاجئة (Read more) 4-Dec- 2008 القوات الإثيوبية في منطقة ياخشيد تتعرض لاشتباكات من قبل القوات الإسلامية (Read more) 4-Dec- 2008 مقتل ثلاثة مدنين علي يد القوات الحكومية في منطقة هرواي (Read more) 4-Dec- 2008 القوات الإثيوبية تقتل مدنيا أثناء مغادرتها عدة نقاط تمركز لها في مدينة مقديشوا (Read more) 4-Dec- 2008 Today's News 3-Dec -2008 نجاة محافظ منطقة بنادر من محوالة إغتيال بعد هجوم شنته قوات الحرس الجمهوري (Read more) 3-Dec- 2008 رئيس الوزراء الصومالي يصل إلي مدينة بيطوة لإجتماع بأعضاء البرلمان الصومالي (Read more) 3-Dec- 2008 وفد رفيع المستوي برئاسة رئيس الوزراء الصومالي يصل إلي مدينة إلي مقديشوا Today's News 2-Dec -2008 مقتل مدني علي يد القوات الحكومية في شارع بلعد الواصل بين مقديشوا وإقليم شبلي السفلي (Read more) 2-Dec- 2008 مدينة بيطوة تشهد هجمات عنيفة علي منازل أعضاء البرلمان الصومالي (Read more) 2-Dec- 2008 Today's News 1-Dec -2008 مقتل راكب وإصابة أكثر من ١٥ شخصا في حادث سيارة علي طريق أفقوي مقديشوا (Read more) 1-Dec- 2008 Today's News 30-Nov -2008 قتل خمسة أشخاص بعد سلسة من الإنفجارات شهدتها مدينة بيطوة (Read more) 30-Nov- 2008 القوات الإثيوبية تنسحب من بعض مراكزها في إقليم باي (Read more) 30-Nov- 2008

English News Today's News 13-Dec -2008 Somali: police commissioner arrests seaport officer (Read more) 13-Dec- 2008 “I advice the President and the Premier to quit” says Qanyare (Read more) 13-Dec- 2008 Ethiopian troops killed 12 nomads at Kabahirig (Read more) 13-Dec- 2008 Armed Men seriously wounded three women in Baidoa (Read more) 13-Dec- 2008 Ethiopian troops in Afgoi district take with them elders (Read more) 13-Dec- 2008 Admiral Skeptical as US Seeks to Pursue Pirates onto Land (Read more) 13-Dec- 2008 AU Commission Chief Wants Peacekeepers to Stay in Somalia (Read more) 13-Dec- 2008 Today's News 12-Dec -2008 The US has requested international authorisation for countries pursuing Somali pirates to hunt them down on land (Read more) 12-Dec- 2008 Today's News 10-Dec -2008 Somali main opposition leader returns to Mogadishu (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 UN Special Representative welcomes Sheik Sharif's return to Mogadishu (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 SHEIK SHARIF IN MOGADISHU (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Ethiopian soldiers arrested Somali traditional elders (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Kenyan security personnel detain Somalis at Eastligh in Nairobi (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Ethiopia says decision for Somalia pullout is irreversible (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Somali Islamists snatch a border town (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Hostage crew in breakout bid as EU mulls daunting task (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Statement by the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Somalia (Read more) 10-Dec- 2008 Today's News 9-Dec -2008 Ethiopia Rejects Rights Report on Somalia as 'Politically-Motivated' (Read more) 9-Dec- 2008 Somali pirates threat force cruise ship evacuation (Read more) 9-Dec- 2008 EU force may post guards on ships to beat pirates (Read more) 9-Dec- 2008 Today's News 8-Dec -2008 Somali Premier “The power sharing deal will be based on 4.5” (Read more) 8-Dec- 2008 EU launches 1st naval mission off Somalia's pirate-plagued coast (Read more) 8-Dec- 2008 Islamists in central Somalia are on high alert as Ethiopians advancing.(Read more) 8-Dec- 2008 All sides commit war crimes in Somalia: rights group (Read more) 8-Dec- 2008 Ethiopian troops in Somalia : Friend or Foe ? (Read more) 8-Dec- 2008 Today's News 7-Dec -2008 Somali Primer returns to Somali legislators’ base (Read more) 7-Dec- 2008 Extra Ethiopian soldiers are on the way to Mogadishu (Read more) 7-Dec- 2008 Somalia Consolidated Appeal Process CAP 2009 for Somalia launched (Read more) 7-Dec- 2008 Somali: Families fear missing men returned to Somalia (Read more) 7-Dec- 2008 Somalia: Further fighting (Read more) 7-Dec- 2008 Today's News 6-Dec -2008 Two anti Ethiopian armed movements clash in a border town (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 Somali opposition leader condemns the ongoing fighting in Somalia (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 SomaliWeyn Female journalist wounded in Mogadishu violence (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 Deadly clashes renewed in Central Somalia (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 UN envoy for Somalia calls for release of hostages (Read more) 6-Dec- 2008 Today's News 5-Dec -2008 20 young doctors graduate in Somalia, 1st in years (Read more) 5-Dec- 2008 Alliance of Youth Movements to Hold Anti-Violence Summit Online (Read more) 5-Dec- 2008 Press Release: Continued Support for Somalia’s Unity Government (Read more) 5-Dec- 2008

Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC)
Muqdisho Somalia

	Web You Domainame

Bar. Haweynka:
Barnaamijka Amuuraha Haweynka oo maalin kasta oo Jimcaha saacadda 1:30-2:00 PM, waxaa soo diyaariya isla markaana noo sheegto Rasmi Maxamud Xeebow Bar. Haweynka