SOO MAAL Posted March 20, 2005 East African countries criticise ICG on Somalia Sun March 20, 2005 1:10 PM GMT+02:00 NAIROBI (Reuters) - East African states have attacked the influential International Crisis Group (ICG) and other unnamed advocacy groups for creating confusion in the region and threatening Somalia's peace process. In an unusual move, ministers from east African peace body IGAD said reports by ICG, a conflict prevention organisation, were damaging to the African sub-region. IGAD members states include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. "The position and advice that the International Crisis Group (ICG) has been giving has resulted in damages to the region and to the peace process in Somalia," said an IGAD statement received by Reuters on Sunday. "While condemning the activities of these groups, (IGAD) called upon the Somali people to be vigilant." Officials said the statement was written on Friday at the end of a two-day meeting in Nairobi to discuss the contentious issue of deployment of African peacekeepers to Somalia. Plans by the African Union (AU) to deploy peacekeepers to Somalia from Kenya, Djibouti and traditional rival Ethiopia have sparked an angry reaction from many Somalis, including warlords and militant Islamists who have promised to attack the troops. Somalia has been carved up into fiefdoms run by rival warlords since 1991. A transitional government was formed in neighbouring Kenya last year and is trying to establish itself inside Somalia. Analysts said the statement by IGAD ministers could put conflict prevention experts operating in the lawless Somalia into danger. Matt Bryden, an ICG expert said he suspected the ministers were unhappy with the crisis group's stand that the deployment of peacekeepers to Somalia was a highly divisive issue and should proceed only when a consensus was reached. On Friday, IGAD ministers took steps to defuse the situation by agreeing to limit its initial AU-backing to deployment of troops from Uganda and Sudan. "Our position has been that if it is forced it could destabilise the Somalia peace process," Bryden said, adding ICG would give its official reaction to the statement on Monday. A majority of Somalia's members of parliament voted on Thursday against the deployment of border states to Somalia, but after the vote the lawmakers came to blows with MPs throwing metal chairs at each other. Kenyan police on Saturday detained Somalia's commerce minister Muse Sudi Yalahow and two other MPs in connection with the fighting and then released on a free bond. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LANDER Posted March 20, 2005 hmm...Let's see, the IGAD has a vested interest in the somali conflict and the ICG is a non-profit organization dedicated to resolve global conflicts. I wonder which among these two organizations could be deemed "reasonable"? or could be perceived as approaching these conflicts from a relatively "neutral" perspective? (I use the word neutral loosely here, there might not be such a thing as "neutrality" but that is another matter all together). Anyway, respect to all those who advocate for Somaliland in the ICG. I think our people should always remember every ally we'll have along the way to formal recognition. I really do admire the intentions of this group, unlike many other so-called NGO's they realise that to achieve progress, one has to take a stance on certain issues. Sitting back and trying to maintain some illusive "neutrality" usually doesn't yield any improvement in conflict. As a wise man once said "charity could never substitute justice". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SOO MAAL Posted March 20, 2005 IGAD is better for Somalia than ICG - which is mouthpiece for so-called Somaliland administration. ICG is against every effort to restore south somalia, ICG is not only against deploying frontline states, but the whole idea of bringing peacekeepers into somalia whether they are frontline states or not, or Muslim or non-Muslim. Clearly ICG is enemy for Somalia, simply because ICG does not want to see peaceful Somalia. At least IGAD wants somalia restored but ICG does not want somalia restored at all Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
