Ban Urges Leaders to Commit to Stability And Public Service

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25 May 2011 While the Sudanese town of Abyei is now empty with its residents having fled the recent violence, the situation there remains tense, according to the United Nations, which called on both sides to cease their hostilities and return to negotiations. The disputed town, which is contested by both north and south Sudan, has witnessed renewed clashes in recent days, including looting and burning earlier this week, following the takeover of the area by Sudanese Government forces. The violence has led thousands to flee their homes

UN News Service (New York)

25 May 2011

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Somalia’s transitional federal institutions (TFIs) to demonstrate they are moving the country towards political stability and social-economic development, saying the Security Council and donors are losing patience with the tensions within the leadership.

“The TFIs must show real progress on key tasks such as constitution-making, political outreach, reconciliation, the provision of basic services and improvements in security,” said Mr. Ban in an address to the African Union (AU) Extraordinary Summit on Peace and Security in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

“I am also very concerned about the humanitarian crisis. Our [AU-United Nations] cooperation in Somalia has been truly exceptional and is finally beginning to show signs of success. We must persevere,” he added.

The Secretary-General took note of the successes of the forces of Somalia’s Transitional Government (TFG) against the Al Shabaab insurgents, with the support of the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

“I commend the courage and commitment of the leaders and soldiers of Uganda, Burundi and TFG forces. The United Nations continues to do everything possible to support the operation through our United Nations Support Office,” said Mr. Ban.

Earlier this month, the Security Council called upon the TFIs to “ensure cohesion and focus on the completion of the transitional tasks,” expressing regret over the decision by the transitional parliament to extend its mandate unilaterally.

The extension of the mandate also created divisions between the members of Parliament on the one hand, and the President and the Prime Minister on the other.

In February, Parliament voted to extend its term for three years after the end of the transitional period in August, a move rejected by the TFG, which has instead proposed extending the interim period for one year, saying it wanted to try to enhance political stability and security.

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Ban Urges Leaders to Commit to Stability And Public Service