NASSIR Posted February 8, 2005 Human rights situation in Somalia improving: UN The United Nations independent expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Ghanim Alnajjar, said Monday that human rights in the chaotic Horn of Africa nation is improving. Addressing a news conference in Nairobi at the conclusion of the 13-day mission to Somalia and the region, Alnajjar called on the new Somali government to set up a truth and reconciliation commission to bring war criminals to justice and to act as a deterrent to future perpetrators of human rights violations. The expert also called on the UN and the international community to provide the new interim government and civil society with assistance in the area of human rights during the process of reconstruction. "The human rights situation in Somalia is now more hopeful than before. I came back with some hope and urge the transitional federal government to actively pursue the integration of international human rights norms and standards into the reconstruction of its legislative and judicial branches," Alnajjar told reporters. The human rights expert who visited Hargeisa, Garowe, Bossaso and the tsunami-stricken peninsula of Hafun in Somalia, noted that unless human rights become a cornerstone of the interim government's agenda, the long-term stability of the country cannot be guaranteed. The independent human rights commission will redress the suffering of millions of Somalis who lost either their relatives and or livelihoods during the many years of conflict and bring those responsible to justice, he said, noting that he had raised the issue during a meeting with Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi earlier. During the mission, Alnajjar met with members of the interim government, local authorities, civil society organizations and international community including representatives of the donor countries in an effort to investigate the prevailing human rights situation in the Horn of Africa nation. "Though much has been done to support the Somalis affected by the tsunami, I urge the international community to remain steadfastly engaged with the nascent Somali transitional federal institutions in other sectors," Alnajjar said. He said the international community should study the possibility of providing boats and fishing gear, and improving the infrastructure to facilitate the transportation of fish to markets. He reiterated that the drought, flash floods and unseasonably cold weather which have decimated livestock in the northern regions in the past years, have destroyed the livelihood of the many Somalis who depend on livestock for their survival. "It is imperative that we all seize this opportune time to build institutions of integrity that ensure the rights of each Somali are protected," he added. This is Alnajjar's fourth annual fact-finding visit to the country since being appointed Independent Expert for Somalia by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in June 2001. By People's Daily Online Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
