Khartoum, Sudan - The African Union Peace and Security Council said it encourages its commission to facilitate ongoing efforts to fully secure Mogadishu, further weaken Al-Shabaab and deprive it of human and financial resources and help provide the much-needed humanitarian assistance to the affected populations in Somalia.

In a communique issued after its 298th meeting, held 17 November, the council said it listened to a briefing on the situation in Somalia presented by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, representatives of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and Ethiopia, as the Chair of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), as well as the League of Arab States and the United Nations.

It said the Council welcomed the initiative taken by the Commission to convene a ministerial level meeting of the AMISOM Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) and other interested countries and institutions, held in Addis Ababa, 14 November, 2011.

'Council encouraged the Commission to actively follow up on the outcome of the meeting, with a view to facilitating the ongoing efforts to fully secure Mogadishu, further weaken Al-Shabaab and deprive it of human and financial resources, expand the TFG administrative presence throughout the liberated areas in Somalia and facilitate the implementation of the Political Roadmap, as well as make it possible to provide the much-needed humanitarian assistance to the affected populations,' the communique stressed.

It said the Council had noted that recent developments in Somalia, in particular the forced withdrawal of Al-Shabaab from Mogadishu and the operation being undertaken by Kenya, on the basis of IGAD decisions, as well as relevant UN Security Council resolutions [1851 (2008) and 1950 (2010)] on Somalia, 'offer a unique opportunity to consolidate security across the country and to sustain efforts at enhancing the implementation of the Political Roadmap agreed to by the Somali stakeholders in Mogadishu, in early September, as a follow-up to the Kampala Accord of June 2011.

The communique said the Council commended the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia forces and the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for their courage and dedication and paid 'a well deserved tribute to all the peacekeepers who lost their lives and those wounded in accomplishing their duty.'

Saying the meeting expressed its appreciation to the Governments and people of Burundi and Uganda for their commitment to the cause of peace and reconciliation in Somalia and the sacrifices made to that end, the communique also welcomed the impending deployment of a Djiboutian battalion and reiterated its appreciation to all the member states contributing personnel to the AMISOM police component.

'Council stressed the need for the Somali stakeholders to fully and timely honour their commitments under the Kampala Accord and the Political Roadmap, so that the political and military aspects of the ongoing efforts progress in tandem. In this respect, Council urged for continued and closer collaboration among the AU Special Representative for Somalia, the IGAD Facilitator and the UN Special Representative,' the communique said.

It urged the United Nations to enhance its support to AMISOM, especially through the provision of the much-needed force enablers and multipliers, reimbursement for contingent-owned equipment, payment of allowances and other aspects, as contained in the communiques of its 245th meeting of 15 October, 2010 and 293rd meeting of 13 September, 2011, in order to enable the mission to more effectively discharge its mandate and extend its area of operation.

'Council equally stressed the importance of adequate international support to the TFG forces to enable them assume primary responsibility for the security of the country, as well as of the mobilization of the required financial resources, for the implementation of the Political Roadmap,' the communique said.

Pana 19/11/2011