×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

'stop Suffering in somalia'

NAIROBI - Somali faction leaders must drop their "winner-takes-all" approach if they are to move towards ending 18 years of civil war when fledgling peace talks restart in Djibouti this weekend, the UN envoy to Somalia said this week.

NAIROBI - Somali faction leaders must drop their "winner-takes-all" approach if they are to move towards ending 18 years of civil war when fledgling peace talks restart in Djibouti this weekend, the UN envoy to Somalia said this week.

A UN Security Council delegation is to visit Djibouti next week "in a show of interest and concern" designed to boost the peace process, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said.

Djibouti is the first stop on an African mission that will also take it to regional hotspots such as Sudan, Chad and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"I have met with Somalis from the transitional government, the Alliance for Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and the diaspora, and told them the time has come for them to seek a way to renounce the attitude of winner-takes-all," Ould-Abdallah said.

"I reminded them to compromise and I am happy that, based on religious and political principles, they have accepted to meet [from tomorrow] to stop the suffering of their population."

Ould-Abdallah is trying to kickstart mediation between the government and opposition in one of Africa's most intractable conflicts.

But hardline opposition figures, including Islamist insurgent leaders in Somalia, said such mediation efforts would go nowhere until Ethiopian troops backing the government leave. - Reuters

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.