London conference on Somalia

A conference in London on Somalia hosted by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron will kick off tomorrow morning.

It is a day or few hours conference on Somalia which will be participated by leaders from the country and the region as well as representative over 40 countries around the world and multi-lateral organizations.

“We have secured senior attendance from the region, including from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, as well as from the United States, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Sweden, the African Union and the European Union. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend.” UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

UK government says the aim of the conference is “delivering a new international approach to Somalia”.

The conference will discuss up to seven sub headings:

• Security
• Political Process
• Local Stability
• Counter-terrorism
• Piracy
• Humanitarian
• International coordination

The current Somali government known as TFG will cease to be transitional government in August. and London conference is expected agree on ” a way of helping the Somali transitional government to ensure that whatever political arrangement succeeds the transition is representative and legitimate”.

Somalia’s more than two decade long political crisis is more complex than something that can be solved in a day conference.

However, UK government says it has been engaged in a prolonged discussion and consultation with the stakeholders in Somalia and admits that more might be needed. ” Even with sustained commitment progress will be slow, but we hope that this conference will serve at a catalyst and that in time it will be seen as a turning point.”

The conference comes on a day that Ethiopian troops captured a major town inside Somalia from al-Qaeda group in Somalia, Al-Shabab. and on a day that the UN Security Council unanimously agreed on letting the AMISOM “peacekeeping troops” increase from 12000 to a maximum of 17.731.

London Conference critics point to the lack of genuine efforts to stabilize Somalia by allowing only neighbouring and regional troops of which some have very specific national agendas to police the country and not fully involve in solution of the country’s  by providing international troops to return peace to Somalia.

Related articles

• Ordinary Somalis must be the focus of the London talks | Mary Robinson (guardian.co.uk)
• Al-Azhar supports London Conference on Somalia (somaliswisstv.com)
• Somalia: Preparations for the London Conference | A Week in the Horn (danielberhane.wordpress.com)
• VIDEO: PM on hopes for Somalia conference (bbc.co.uk)
• Britain Calls for a New Focus on Somalia. (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Somalis raise concerns about London conference agenda (guardian.co.uk)
• UN Council to increase Somalia force to 17,700. (somaliswisstv.com)