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Fragile progress in Somalia

February 23, 2012

Islamic militancy, pirates and poverty were all on the agenda on Thursday as world leaders and their representatives gathered in London for a summit focused on one of the world's worst failed states, Somalia.

https://p.dw.com/p/1480I
A Somali government soldier walks in front of a destroyed hotel
Image: picture alliance/dpa

World leaders gathering in London on Thursday struck an optimistic tone on the future of war-torn Somalia, while warning that the world will "pay the price" if it fails to aid the country in combating political turmoil, Islamic extremism and piracy.

Officials from around 50 nations attended the conference, including representatives from the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted progress in Somalia, which has been without effective government since 1991 and is fighting an Islamic insurgency against al-Shabaab militants.

"We have opened a space for peace and stability in Somalia," Ban said. "It is a small space but it presents an opportunity we cannot afford to miss."

UN-Konferenz zu Somalias Zukunft # 23.02.2012 17 Uhr # Journal Englisch

His optimism was echoed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who used her speech to announce $64 million in additional humanitarian aid to the country that would aim to improve the lives of ordinary Somalis.

"For decades, the world has focused on what we could prevent from happening in Somalia - be it conflict, famine or other disasters," Clinton said. "Now we are focused on what we can build. The opportunity is real."

African Union troop increase

Apart from fighting the al-Shabaab militants, who recently joined forces with al Qaeda, Somalia is also the source of pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean who pose a direct threat to integral global shipping routes.

Hundreds of newly trained Shabaab fighters
Al-Shabaab militants control large parts of SomaliaImage: AP

The leader of Somalia's weak western-backed administration, Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, was upbeat on the eve of the meeting, insisting his country was "moving into an era of peace, stability and normalcy."

This comes on the back of a resolution passed at the UN Security Council increasing the number of African Union troops that can be deployed in Somalia from 12,000 to 17,731. It also grants soldiers the authority to use force against al-Shabaab.

The militant group has taken an increasingly firm hold on large swathes of the country in recent years.

On Wednesday, however, Somali troops working with Ethiopian soldiers took control of the city of Baidoa, which had been held by al-Shabaab. The town, 160 miles (256 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, was previously the seat of Somalia's transitional parliament.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague has indicated the ongoing bloodshed in Syria will be discussed on the sidelines of the conference.

acb, dfm/ncy (AFP, Reuters, dpa)