MOGADISHU: The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) force commander said Friday he sees no way of managing Somalia’s political transition other than by extending the mandate of the transitional government (TFG).
“I don’t see any other alternative than that,” Ugandan Gen. Nathan Mugisha said, referring to a one year extension of the TFG’s mandate. “There is no other option, unfortunately.”
“We cannot interrupt the efforts toward pacification. Stabilization has started … we need partners on the other side, AMISOM can not do this job alone without the TFG,” he said in an interview at the force’s base.
The mandates of the transitional government and Parliament were both supposed to end in August after an earlier two-year extension. The mandate of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmad was also supposed to end in August.
“The extremists are now disorganized,” he said, referring to the Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels, Al-Shabaab, who still control nearly all of south and central Somalia and a large part of the capital.
“They are disadvantaged,” the force commander said, referring to gains made by the government forces and AMISOM over the past month. “Once you disrupt the TFG, then you disempower AMISOM and you’re playing the game of Al-Shabaab.”
Meanwhile, Kenya has expressed concern over the instability in Somalia as cross-border raids by insurgents increase and a steady influx of refugees cross the porous frontier.
“Kenya is concerned about the fluid and unpredictable situation in Somalia,” President Mwai Kibaki said during a meeting with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon late Thursday. “I look forward to the U.N. Security Council playing its rightful role in ending the protracted internal strife in Somalia for the sake of millions of innocent people.” – AFP, Reuters
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