Puntland leader 'ready to mediate' among factions in south Somalia

[General Duke]

Puntland leader 'ready to mediate' among factions in south Somalia

10 Jul 10, 2009 - 4:39:10 PM

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. July 10 (Garowe Online) - The president of Somalia's Puntland State government has called on warring factions in the country's south-central regions to stop the violence and expressed his willingness to mediate among the factions, Radio Garowe reports.

 

Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole," the president of Puntland, spoke with the Voice of America's Somali Service during his trip to Washington, D.C.

 

"Puntland is a part of Somalia and is seeking the establishment of a federal government in Somalia," President Farole said, adding that Puntland has spent its 11-year history searching for the restoration of the Somali nation-state.

 

He indicated that he was invited to Washington, D.C., to brief the U.S. Congress on the situation in Somalia. Thousands of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced by a relentless insurgency concentrated around Mogadishu since 2007.

 

"We have appealed for peace in past statements and again I urge the fighting groups to end the violence and save Somali lives," the Puntland leader said, adding that the Puntland administration is "ready" to host mediation talks among the factions.

 

Speaking about African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM), President Farole said that the African peacekeepers continue to play a crucial role by protecting important infrastructure such as the airport and port facilities, as well as the Villa Somalia presidential compound.

 

He noted that the airport and port facilities remain an important delivery route for humanitarian aid coming to Mogadishu and its environs, while appealing to African countries to boost the AMISOM peacekeeping force to the planned 8,000 soldiers.

 

Currently, AMISOM has about 4,200 soldiers from Uganda and Burundi serving in Mogadishu.

 

President Farole was asked how much concern he had about Islamist hardliners like Al Shabaab overthrowing the Somali Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu and then attacking Puntland.

 

"All members of our society, including religious and traditional elders, business leaders, and intellectuals are confident with [the] Puntland [government] and are determined to uphold the stability we have [in Puntland]," President Farole said.

 

Puntland's southern town of Galkayo is located 750km north of Mogadishu.

 

Source: Garoew Online