Transition in Somalia
Foreign Secretary William Hague said that while the UK welcomes progress made so far towards ending the transition, we share concerns expressed by the UN Special Representative to the African Union.
“The UK welcomes the progress made so far towards ending the transition in Somalia, including the recent adoption by the National Constituent Assembly of the new Somali provisional constitution.
“However, the UK shares the serious concerns expressed by the UN Special Representative, African Union and IGAD on 10 August at reports of bribery, corruption and the intimidation of those involved in the selection process for the new parliament. All parties must work in a fair and transparent manner and should be held accountable for any failure to do so. The UK fully supports the UN Sanctions Committee’s work on following-up the worrying allegations made in the Somalia/Eritrea Sanctions Monitoring Group Report issued last month.
“We are also concerned by further delays to the process which is scheduled to end on 20 August. It is vital that the Signatories make intensive efforts to ensure the timetable remains on track. The selection of members of the new Parliament should take place as soon as possible, in a fully transparent manner. We expect it to achieve the 30% quota for women’s participation. We reaffirm our commitment to hold to account those who seek to spoil or unnecessarily delay the process to end the transition.
“The end of the transition should mark the beginning of a more representative government in Somalia. I urge the new MPs to use the secret ballot to vote with their conscience for new Somali leaders. The UK looks forward to the creation of new accountable and representative institutions which are better able to respond to the aspirations of the Somali people.”