UN aims to bring Somalia off the 'forgotten' list
The international community will on Thursday again try to rally to the cause of war-torn Somalia's UN-backed government, which has launched its biggest offensive yet against Islamist insurgents.
The UN Security Council will hold a special meeting against the backdrop of a major land push against the al-Shabaab militia in which dozens of African Union troops have been killed, while an international flotilla battles pirates.
If a death toll of at least 400 000 from the country's 20-year-long civil war nightmare was not enough, the UN estimates more than two million people are now threatened by drought.
Somalia is jockeying for global attention with the Libya revolt and the Côte d'Ivoire conflict.
But China called the Security Council meeting, which gives the strongest recognition yet of the need for an effective government if Somalia -- which many call the "ultimate failed state" -- is to stand any chance of recovery.
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China's emphasis on putting Somalia high on the Security Council agenda has also been welcomed by European nations, who have spent heavily on equipment and training for Amisom and Somali forces.
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-03-09-un-a ... tten-list/
