Nairobi, 06 November 2009
Salaam Aleikum
Dear friends, my warmest greetings to all of you.
1. My correspondence comes one month later than usual due to a very hectic schedule this last month. At times it may feel as though we are standing still, so I wish to reassure you that there is much work happening behind the scenes to help Somalia move forwards. Once again, I would like to inform you of the latest developments from my side.
2. This past month, we held the first High Level Committee (HLC) meeting and convened the third meeting of the Joint Security Committee both under a new format. You will remember that the two Committees were established under Article 9 and 8, respectively of the Djibouti Agreement to encourage dialogue between the then Government and opposition. They have since been adapted to bring together the Somali Government representatives and its partners of the International Community to ensure a coherent approach to implementing the Djibouti Agreement in areas including security, justice and reconciliation, humanitarian, reconstruction and development. Held on 23 October 2009, the HLC meeting was co chaired by the Prime Minister and the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Lynn Pascoe. The USG underscored the Prime Minister's appeal for continued international support for assistance to the Government.
3. The Joint Security Committee was established pursuant to Article 8 of the Djibouti Agreement to help establish, or re-establish and strengthen by all necessary means, the security capacities of the Government of Somalia. At the third meeting, held on 12 October, I took the opportunity to make several observations that I believe are key to strengthening the security capacity of Somalia including through training and other forms of cooperation between the Government and its external partners.
4. Security Forces activities should be better organised and coordinated, both inside Somalia, and in relation to the International Community. The need to strengthen confidence and trust between TFG forces and to introduce better organisation at all levels, units and ranks was discussed. The discussion on the Security Sector Assessment, now underway, was most useful and should be followed by concrete proposals in the next few weeks.
5. It is my understanding that Somalis should take advantage of the duration of the Transitional period until August 2011, to start rebuilding the national security forces. With due diligence, this period can be a fruitful one. Building a relationship between a government and its constituencies takes time and continued effort. While I understand that travel is necessary for officials to fulfil their duties and to raise much needed funds, it is important to balance this travel with working side by side with the people. Like all people, Somalis wish to be informed about the purposes and outcomes of the official visits of their representatives. I am sure that the President, Speaker, Prime Minister and Cabinet members will meet these concerns.
6. During the month of October, I also visited London, Paris and Washington to discuss with the Governments and other interested parties on how they can best continue to support the Government. There is much interest, and your friends in these countries are keen to help Somalia regain its security and dignity. The need to find a new approach was also addressed by the UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Lynn B. Pascoe, in his speech to the UN Security Council on 8 October, and reiterated before the diplomatic community during his visit to Nairobi last month.
7. Back home, unfortunately, a number of nationals still follow the old pattern of using extreme violence to express their dissatisfaction, or to try to achieve political goals. Since 1992 these old-style methods have not achieved any lasting success. There is no reason to believe that they will now. Last May, a number of Somalis and their allies tried to overthrow the Government by force. They are now resorting to attempted targeted assassinations of officials including the President– which will only bring more violence, misery and misunderstanding within and outside the country. As you are well aware, due to this continued fighting, the suffering of Somalis continues. I would like to hereby reiterate the importance of humanitarian assistance and unhindered humanitarian access. This assistance is neutral, impartial and independent in its principles. It is key to ensuring that those who suffer from the continued fighting are at least being helped.
8. In order to assist Somalia to achieve peace for itself and its people, many partners have been and are still ready to help. In this regard, an independent auditing firm was contracted to ensure a transparent payment mechanism. This initiative is also helping to build trust in the Government and is another step towards the normalisation of relations between Somalia and the International Community in financial cooperation. This is a welcome development since it gives an opportunity to those who want to help, to do so, via a new competitive channel. You should be even more grateful to Norway, who – once again – went a step further in its commitment to help your people by direct cooperation through your own Central Bank. This "cooperation test" should succeed. It is a message to those who think that business as usual, war and anarchy make up the only option for Somalia.
9. Wrongly or rightly, today, the world associates the country with failure and violence. If you want the Somalia of tomorrow to be associated with stability and success, we all have to contribute to promote a new image of your great country. My office works hard to communicate that, despite the negative events, there is progress – which is not usually mentioned as only bad news gets the headlines.
10. Somalis are not against each other, it is suspicion which is creating fear and pushing them to violence. Somali businessmen work together beyond tribal affiliation inside and outside the country. They can make a positive contribution to peace and the large majority is acting that way. I wish to recall that my very first international conference on Somalia issues took place in February 2008 with the business community in Sharja. I have noted a trend towards supporting peace and stability and that is an excellent sign. Also, you in the Diaspora can and shall make a contribution to your country beyond tribal and regional affiliation. Many of the Parliament and Government members are from the Diaspora and this is also true for Puntland and Somaliland.
11. The Government and other friends of Somalia should continue to take very seriously their responsibilities regarding peace and stability. The leaders of the Transitional Federal Institutions should renew their commitments to working together more closely with one another as well as directly with the people- business community, civil society organizations, etc. Progress is always to be consolidated.
Yours Faithfully
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah
