Canada, West urged to step in, as country is at a tipping point
Sunday, August 02, 2009
At a press conference in Ottawa, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said the situation in the African country is at a "critical point."
A fierce assault on the Somali capital of Mogadishu in May by foreign-backed militant Islamist groups -- described by Ould-Abdallah as at attempted coup d'état -- caused widespread destruction but failed to topple President Sharif Sheik Ahmed's provisional government.
After the failed attack, more Somalis are realizing that force cannot produce a lasting solution to the conflict that has racked the country since 1991, Ould-Abdallah said.
Now, he said, "Everyone realizes there is a red line not to cross. And that discussion and dialogue is better than Somalis killing Somalis."
In the past, Western countries like Canada have been "disappointed by Somali determination to kill each other," Ould-Abdallah acknowledged. As a result, they have limited their involvement to providing humanitarian assistance.
With more Somalis recognizing that compromise is the only way to end the war that has devastated their country, more engagement from democratic countries is needed, Ould-Abdallah said. "The time has come to go beyond delivering humanitarian assistance."
Ould-Abdallah said Canada should push for more dialogue among Somali factions and encourage efforts by the Ahmed government to reach out to its opponents.
"We need to support this government because we would have a responsible partner," he said, adding: "We need to do something, because Somalia is a risk to itself, a risk to its neighbours and a risk to the international community."
A Canadian role is critical, he said, because Canada has been an aggressive opponent of impunity and championed the "responsibility to protect" doctrine, which calls for humanitarian intervention to protect endangered populations.
[Could end nicely here ... UN stuff could stay, but it's not crucial]
The Somali diaspora can also play an important role, Ould-Abdallah said. "They are hard-working, they are dedicated, they are smart, but they need to change the image of their country of origin."
He challenged Canada's 200,000-strong Somali community to get more involved in Canadian life and elect a Somali-Canadian MP -- or even produce a governor general -- within the next decade.
Ould-Abdallah said Canada should support efforts to re-establish a UN presence in Mogadishu. Because of security concerns, the UN's Somali group has been based in Nairobi for the past 15 years.
Returning to Mogadishu would be "a show of solidarity" with the many Somalis who are resisting the continued violence, he said.
"Somalis are not killers. It is forced on them to survive. We need to assist them, to protect them and to liberate them from the situation they are under."
Source: Ottawa Citizen, Aug 02, 2009