NEW YORK CITY –
The United Nations Security Council said it would consider taking appropriate measures against countries, including Eritrea, that provide aid to armed militant groups in Somalia.
The council “condemns the recent attacks on the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the civilian population by armed groups and foreign fighters who undermine peace and stability in Somalia,” it said in a declaration read by the body’s president for July, Ugandan Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda.
Somalia’s fragile transitional government controls virtually no territory and has been unable to govern the country due to ongoing fighting with hardline militias.
The Security Council noted the African Union’s call for action against countries, including nearby Eritrea, that have provided support for the militants.
The UN body said it remained committed to the Djibouti peace process concluded in 2008 between the transitional government and a major Islamist opposition faction, which has failed to strengthen the TFG or produce peace.
“The Security Council is deeply concerned in this regard and will consider expeditiously what action to take against any party undermining the Djibouti Peace Process,” the declaration said.
The African Union, meeting in Libya last Friday, appealed to the Security Council to impose sanctions against Eritrea — a call echoed on Wednesday by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African regional group.
Militia groups Shebab and Hezb al-Islam, a more political organisation, launched an unprecedented nationwide offensive in May against the administration of Somalian President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who enjoys international backing.
But Sharif’s forces have been unable to reassert their authority over the capital Mogadishu.
[Meanwhile, Eritrea has fired back at the UN, saying “the Security Council cannot supplant international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”
The Government and People of Eritrea have not recognized, do not recognize and will not recognize any government that is externally imposed on Somalia against the choice of the Somali people and in contravention of international law as well as the Charter of the United Nations,” a statement posted on the official Shabait.com said.]
