Saturday, September 14, 2013
Somalia is on the edge of becoming a success story though the next
few steps may be "precarious," a U.N. envoy told the Security Council.
Last year, Somalia established its first functioning central
government in Mogadishu since 1991 and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon
established the country's first Ministry for Human Rights during a
special parliamentary session last month.
Nicholas Kay, U.N. special envoy for Somalia, told the Security Council he was optimistic about Somalia's future.
"Behind the twists and turns, the crises and the standoffs, Somalia has the foundations for progress," he said Thursday.
Kay noted there was a high level of support from members of the
international community that ensures Somali progress. The European Union
said Monday it was offering a peacekeeping mission in Somalia $163
million in assistance to help cover troop allowances.
He warned, however, the country could slide backward without
continued support as the Somali government struggles to exert its
authority beyond Mogadishu amid lingering threats from al-Shabaab,
al-Qaida's affiliate in Somalia.
"We are standing on the very edge of great success," he said. "Where we stand is also precarious."
Militants this week tried to kill Ahmad Muhammad Islam Madobe,
interim leader of the Jubba regional administration in southern Somalia.