Friday, September 03, 2010
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During a day-long visit to Somalia's capital city of Mogadishu, the UN under secretary- general for political affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, on Thursday expressed his solidarity with the people of the eastern African nation, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters here.Lauding the work of the African Union Peacekeeping Mission ( AMISOM) in Somalia, Pascoe called on the international community to provide more troops as well as financial and logistical support for the peacekeeping force.
Pascoe was accompanied by the UN special representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, and held a meeting with Somali President Sheikh Sharif and other cabinet ministers, said Haq.
Following the trip, Pascoe reiterated his call on the government to provide for those in need in the conflict-ravaged country.
"It is crucial to show the long suffering people of Somalia that the government can deliver basic services," he said.
Tensions erupted on Aug. 30 after eight days of fighting, as four Ugandan peacekeepers were killed by a mortar that hit the presidential palace in Mogadishu. The Islamist militant group Al Shabaab last week declared a full-fledged war against Somali government forces and AU peacekeeping troops based in the Somali capital.
Source: Xinhua