The AU ambassadors from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council discussed a request from African leaders at last week’s summit to impose a no-fly zone and a blockade of Somali ports to prevent the entry of foreign fighters and the shipments of weapons that are fueling the conflict. The summit also urged the Security Council to sanction Eritrea, the Horn of Africa country accused of providing support to the Somali rebellion.
The United States last month urgently sent a $10-million arms and military training package to President Sharif’s government. The African Union Peace and Security Council is slated to meet this month to consider boosting AMISOM’s mandate to allow peacekeepers to more robustly engage the rebels.
Filed under: Somalia
U.N. Warns Eritrea on Aiding Islamists
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By REUTERS
Published: July 9, 2009
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — The United Nations Security Council warned Eritrea on Thursday that it would consider taking action against anyone who undermined peace in Somalia.
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Times Topics: Eritrea | Somalia
The warning, in a formal statement, followed a request last week by leaders of the African Union to the Security Council to impose sanctions on Eritrea. The African Union said Eritrea had been aiding Islamist insurgents who are fighting Somali government forces.
Somalia’s government and others have accused Eritrea of supplying arms to the insurgents in breach of a United Nations embargo that allows arms to be shipped only to the government.
Fighters with the Shabab insurgent group, which is thought to have links to Al Qaeda, control much of Somalia, including most of the capital, Mogadishu.
Last week, more than 70 people were killed as government troops tried to drive back insurgents who have been advancing on government positions in Mogadishu.