'Al-Shabab a serious threat'
2009-05-30 09:34
Geneva - Somalia's new foreign minister said on Friday that the Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab is controlling the fighting in Mogadishu and poses a threat to the entire country.
Mohamed Abullahi Omaar told reporters that the group's ideology is not one which recognises the values and the interests of the Somali people.
"This is now a threat not only to the government, but to the Somali nation and sovereignty," Omaar said. "So for us it is a war, and it is a war that needs to be won."
Somalia is riven by fighting among clan warlords and an Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing for their lives in recent years.
Insurgents are trying to topple the country's Western-backed government and install a strict Islamic state, and the latest surge of violence this month has killed about 200 people.
Al-Shabab says it is fighting for the country and against a government it says is imposed by the West.
On Tuesday, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to condemn the recent surge in fighting in Somalia and called for an end to actions that undermine the country's government.
Omaar told reporters that Somalia lacks the resources to properly fight back, noting that al-Shabab would not be so hard to defeat if the government could have access to the necessary technology and supplies.
"We have the men. We have the intelligence. We have the knowledge. We know the terrain. We know the politics. We know the clans. We know the leaders," Omaar said. "What we need are the resources."
Last month, the European Union said it would contribute $75m to help boost security in Somalia, but Omaar said Somalia does not have the money yet. He said the money would pay for about 10 000 security forces.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday strongly condemned the violent campaign to overthrow Somalia's "legitimate government which has reached out to its opponents in a spirit of reconciliation, through an 'open door' policy and negotiations", UN deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe said.
"The secretary-general believes there is a unique window of opportunity for peace in Somalia, but the situation is fragile and international assistance is needed now," she said.
The situation in Somalia is further complicated because pirates in and around the Gulf of Aden are preventing much needed goods and supplies from getting through, including rice and pharmaceuticals.
"Two vessels are being held now loaded with Somali-owned goods," Omaar said. "We can't get supplies to the nation."
The pirates have become increasingly brazen over the past two years, hijacking dozens of merchant ships for ransom worth millions of dollars.
- AP
