Somalia talks 'not looking good'

2008-06-09 18:04

Djibouti - UN-sponsored talks aimed at bringing the Somali government and its main political foes into direct dialogue have hit problems, an official said on Monday.

"The talks are going on but, they are not looking very good," said an official at the talks who asked not to be named owing to the sensitivity of the matter.

The official did not elaborate on the details of the process that comes as the Somali capital Mogadishu remains under artillery fire from feuding Islamist insurgents and joint Ethiopia and Somali forces.

This round of talks opened on May 31 following a similar first round that ended on May 16. In the first round rivals did not engage in direct talks, but the move was seen as a breakthrough in efforts to end a conflict.

The negotiations received a boost on June 2 with the visit of a delegation from the UN Security Council, which will be touring Africa over the coming week.

The AU, which has some 2 600 peacekeepers deployed in Somalia - short of the pledged 8 000 troops - has also lent its support to the Djibouti talks.

17 years of conflict

The AU's Peace and Security Council has urged Somali factions that have so far shunned the process to join it, in a bid to end more than 17 years of conflict in the African nation.

While some Islamist leaders and influential clan leaders have joined the discussions, other hardline Islamists have insisted the mediation was biased and continued to demand an Ethiopian withdrawal before talks could start.

The talks are being held against a backdrop of almost daily clashes between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian troops supporting the Somali government.

According to international rights groups and aid agencies, at least 6 000 civilians have died in fighting there over the past year.

The country has been plagued by an uninterrupted civil war since the 1991 ousting of former president Mohamed Siad Barre and numerous peace initiatives have failed.

- AFP