Decision looms on support for security force in Somalia

‘Unacceptable and inhuman'

Asha Hagi Elmi is a member of Somalia's transitional federal parliament, a campaigner for women's rights and peace, and the recipient of several international awards.

“What is happening today in Somalia is unacceptable and inhuman,” she told European Voice. “The people of Somalia are facing the most horrendous security situation on earth.”

She estimates that for the past six weeks in Mogadishu, more than 100 people have been killed each day and more than 200 wounded.
“The situation is very alarming. If the international community does not respond positively, the situation will get even more out of hand,” she said. She warned that the peace talks, which are sponsored by the EU, would fall apart.

The overwhelming majority of Somali people supported the transitional government, she said, and were fed up with the culture of violence. They wanted a government that could secure their lives, she said.

She hoped that the new US administration of Barack Obama would come up with a new strategy towards Somalia. “Otherwise the consequences of the conflict that has been taking place in Somalia will not be confined only to Somalia,” she added.

Tim King