Somalia: MEPs call for immediate ceasefire and action by international community
 

Human rights - 15-11-2007 - 17:25   In its three human rights resolutions adopted at the end of this week's session, Parliament highlights the persecution of religious believers, particularly Christians, in certain countries; endorses the Council's recent decision to suspend visa restrictions on the Uzbekistan authorities; and calls for an immediate ceasefire in Somalia as well as action by the international community.

In the light of the worsening situation in Somalia, Parliament adopted a resolution urging an immediate ceasefire as well as enforcement of the longstanding UN arms embargo on the country.  The African Union's member states are pressed to provide peacekeeping troops, while the international community is urged to provide financial and logistical support for those troops.
 
At least 80 people have been killed in the recent fighting between the Union of Islamic Courts and allied Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops and at least 100,000 people have been displaced. The total number of displaced persons in Somalia is now over 850,000. About 38,000 children under the age of five among the rural population are estimated to be acutely malnourished and 10,000 are believed to be at risk of death.  
 
Calls for immediate cessation of hostilities and of all foreign military intervention
 
Against this background, Parliament's resolution "strongly condemns the serious violations of human rights committed by all parties to the conflict", calls for "the immediate cessation of hostilities", demands that "all warring factions refrain from indiscriminate attacks on civilians" and calls for "an independent panel to investigate war crimes and human rights violations".
 
Parliament also warns that there is a clear risk of the Somalia conflict growing into a regional war affecting the entire Horn of Africa. It calls on the international community "to step up and sustain diplomatic efforts to end the violence" and propose a mechanism to negotiate and monitor an immediate ceasefire.  It also calls for "the cessation of all foreign military intervention in Somalia". 
 
African states urged to provide full contingent of AU peacekeeping troops
 
While welcoming the efforts by the African Union to assemble a peacekeeping force, MEPs deplore the fact that so far only 1,600 soldiers out of the 8,000 promised have actually been deployed. The AU is asked to call on its member states to honour their commitments, while the EU is urged to provide political, financial and logistical support.
 
More generally, the international community, particularly the EU, is asked "to increase the provision of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons and people in need".
 
Enforce the UN arms embargo
 
MEPs also urge "strict and renewed application and monitoring of the arms embargo against Somalia imposed by the UN in 1992, for which scant respect is paid" and call for "the violators of the Somalia arms embargo to start being held accountable". 
 
In addition, they highlight the urgent need for journalists to be protected and condemn the Somali Government's systematic harassment of journalists.  Lastly, says Parliament, the EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon on 8 and 9 December 2007 should "give urgent consideration to the grave situation prevailing in Somalia".  
 

Home