Weekly Bulletin of IRIN Radio Service (August 15th, 2002)

KENYA UPBEAT ON PEACE TALKS, AS DATE IS ANNOUNCED All Somali faction leaders and the Transitional National Government (TNG) have told a visiting committee of conference organizers that they will attend an upcoming peace conference for their country in Kenya, according to Kenyan Foreign Minister Marsden Madoka. Madoka told the press on Wednesday that the peace conference, organized by regional body IGAD, would take place in the Kenyan town of Eldoret on September 16th and last two weeks. He said previous talks had failed to deliver peace because they did not include all the Somali stakeholders, with some factional leaders sending their deputies and others refusing to attend. But he said the chances of success were very high now, because IGAD’s so-called technical committee had been on the ground to talk to Somali leaders and had received their promise to attend. The technical committee is composed of members from Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Madoka said a ministerial meeting of the seven-nation IGAD would meet in Nairobi on Friday to endorse technical committee proposals for the conference. EU REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR IGAD PEACE PROCESS The European Union Council of Ministers has reaffirmed the EU’s support for the Somali peace process piloted by regional body IGAD. At a meeting on July 22nd, the Council said future EU initiatives could, if deemed appropriate, include the appointment of a special envoy, sanctions against individuals blocking the peace process, and targeted financial support. The EU said it would provide financial and technical support to a provisional, all-inclusive, broad-based administration to succeed rapidly the transitional government of Arta. At the same time, the EU will continue to provide similar support to regional authorities in Somalia that demonstrate a commitment to peace, good governance and democracy, and which collaborate with the international community in fighting terrorism. UN SOUNDS ALARM ON HUMANITARIAN ACCESS Insecurity is preventing humanitarian access in many parts of Somalia, especially around Baidoa, Puntland and Mogadishu, according to the United Nations. In a press release this week, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Maxwell Gaylard, expressed deep concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, where he said people were already suffering from acute poverty, malnutrition and lack of access to the most basic services. Gaylard said parties to conflict and those in positions of authority must take greater responsibility for the welfare of their fellow citizens, stop fighting and demonstrate support for peace building. The press release says recent fighting in Baidoa killed about 20 civilians and an equal number of militia, while fierce clashes in Puntland left over 100 militia members dead and effectively cut off humanitarian access to the area. Gaylard said that in Mogadishu, a wave of kidnappings had severely curtailed the UN's ability to assist about 150,000 internally displaced people and other vulnerable groups. He said that several hundred thousand people were displaced nationwide, thus compounding their vulnerability. AID AGENCIES UNCOORDINATED IN SOMALILAND International aid agencies lack coordination when dealing with long-term assistance for internally displaced and returnee populations in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, says a new UN report. The main reason is the problem of which agency has, or should have, a mandate to assist these communities, said the joint report from the United Nations Coordination Unit/Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNCU/OCHA). It said efforts to form a joint committee to sort out this issue had not materialized. As a result, the little assistance delivered to the region to date had been on an ad hoc basis. This meant that the prospect of as many as 80,000 returnees to Somaliland arriving over the next two years was raising grave concerns with regard to increased social and economic pressures on both local authorities and resident populations. UNCU/OCHA recommended that any further assistance for internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly those in Dima camp in Hargeysa, should be conducted with the consultation of the IDPs themselves, as there had been complaints regarding the diversion of relief supplies by local authorities. The report said it was also necessary to establish a system of monitoring and evaluating the delivery of any relief supplies. GERMAN ANTI-TERRORIST CREW SAYS IT HAS INSIGHTS ON SOMALIA The outgoing head of a German navy anti-terrorist patrol in the Indian Ocean says his team has uncovered important trends that may offer helpful insights about Somalia, according to press reports. Helmut Zimmerman told the press in Mombasa that he could not say anything further, for security reasons. He is due to be replaced Friday by incoming commander R.W. Haag and a new crew of 120 men. Zimmerman also declined to comment on when the crew’s mandate would end. He said its mandate included scouring the Indian Ocean area for cells of active terrorists or their associates. Agence France Presse reports that before the Kenyan unit was set up, Germany already had 1,275 soldiers, as well as three frigates, four torpedo-firing patrol boats and four refuelling tankers mobilized in eastern Africa, supported by a logistical base in Djibouti. The German and British navies have been in the Indian Ocean region since early this year, as part of an Allied response following the September 11th terrorist attacks on the US.