N.O.R.F Posted May 27, 2007 Somali government rebuffs Amnesty report on Somalia Aweys Osman Yusuf Mogadishu 25, May.07 ( Sh.M.Network) The Somali transitional government rebuffed Amnesty International report on human rights violations by several countries in the Horn and Eastern Africa. Somali government spokesman, Abdi Haji Goobdoon, said Friday that the international human rights agency was exaggerating its report on human rights abuses in Somalia. He said Somali interim government has only recently been able to seize control of the country. “Local human rights agencies are yet novices in their work because the whole country is recovering from the civil war and hardships that have not yet entirely evaded, so I believe Amnesty was quick to criticize Somalia on rights violations,” he said. Amnesty International annual report on May 23rd, shows abuses, including random detention of government critics, religious persecution, disappearances, murder and torture. In Somalia, civilians maintain to suffer from factional violence as rival groups compete for political power. Drought ravaged many areas and humanitarian access was obstructed by insecurity. Amnesty says 400,000 Somali IDPs who fled the ongoing turmoil in the capita, Mogadishu, remain poor while violence and discrimination against minority was common with little protection from government or justice institutions. Goobdoon says his government was determined to safeguard the rights of the Somali people in general. The UN backed government based on tribes, 4 major clans and so called minority groups, seems to be coping with restoration of peace and security in anarchic country, while it utterly hinges on EU and US financial aid to take steps towards gaining firm control of the country, the capital in particular. The European Union have so far pledged more financial aid to the Somali government, depending how it establishes political dialog with its opponents including the routed Union of Islamic Courts, which the country’s two top leaders repulsed inviting Islamists in attending the national reconciliation conference due to take place in Mogadishu next month. Shabelle Media Network Somalia E-mail us: info@shabelle.net Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
