EU sends warning to Somali militants

The European Union has issued a warning to the Somalia insurgents asking them to stop the raging conflict.

Addressing a news conference at Nairobi’s Hilton Hotel, Swedish Ambassador Mrs Anna Brandt, said the crisis was of “serious concern” to the EU.

Mrs Brandt spoke as Sweden assumed the presidency of the 27-member political and economic bloc for the next six months.

The Swedish special envoy to the Somali Peace Process, Mr Joran Bjallerstedt, ruled out any quick-fix measures in the rehabilitation of Somalia.

In a subtle warning to the militia, Mr Bjallerstedt dismissed them as “having no idea beyond the overthrowing the legitimate government.”

He noted that with the collapsed infrastructure in Somalia, the Al Shabaab militia would find it hard to run the country should they overthrow the government.

“... these insurgents will just cause problems within small territories in Somalia, they cannot manage the whole country,” he said.

The special envoy reiterated EU’s commitment in supporting the Djibouti peace process that gave rise to the Transitional Federal Government.

Mr Bjallerstedt reckoned that the insurgents are not supported by the majority of the citizens because of their “extremist” tendencies.

“We’ll continue supporting the TFG until such a time that peace and reconciliation returns to Somalia,” he said.

The dwindling security in Somalia has been a subject of regional concern with the African Union even contemplating sending in more troops to kill the insurgency.

With the United Nations taking the lead in handling the Somalia crisis and an AU force laying the ground for humanitarian support, the situation may not be as hopeless as it has seemed in the past weeks when the conflict escalated.

The militia roaming the vast war-torn country have posed security threats to the vast border between Kenya and Somalia.

This has been evidenced by an influx in the number of small arms within Kenya.

The EU promised to follow-up on the hitherto unfulfilled pledges from its member countries and other partners worth an estimated Sh16 billion (USD213 million).

Only Italy has honoured its pledge when it gave Sh400 million (4 million euros).

The money will be channelled through the African Union Mission in Somalia, the AU and the Somalia government through trust funds.

The delay, Mr Bjallerstedt said, was due to the collapse of the banking infrastructure in Somalia.

An international consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers was on Tuesday picked to keep track of the donor money.

The ongoing crisis in Somalia is set to dominate the African Union meeting in Sirte, Libya.

The besieged Somalia government has been operating from Kenya and sometimes Ethiopia after fighting escalated in the country.