London Somalia Conference
The London Somalia Conference was a
Overview
The London Somalia Conference was the latest of 20 international conferences on Somalia that have been conducted since the outbreak of the
The conference was attended by representatives of Somalia's
In the build-up to the conference, Somali and global stakeholders convened with the British authorities to discuss the meeting's key areas of concern. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office indicated that sustained political commitment and tangible action would be necessary and that the involved parties would need to support and build upon the existing work of the Somali civil society groups, the UN, AU and NGOs. It also stated that although progress would likely be gradual, it hoped the conference would serve as a catalyst and perhaps eventually come to be regarded as a turning point.[1] British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the international community's focus should be on assisting the Somali authorities' extant efforts at strengthening security and establishing a representative government, and on assuring delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable areas.[3]
Objectives
According to the planners of the conference, there were seven specific areas of interest for which they hoped to agree on a series of practical measures:[1]
- Security: sustainable funding for the African Union Mission in Somalia(AMISOM), and support for Somali security and justice sectors
- Political Process: agreement to what should succeed the transitional institutions in Mogadishuin August 2012 and the establishment of a Joint Financial Management Board
- Local Stability: a coordinated international package of support to Somalia's regions
- Counter-terrorism: renewed commitment to tackle collectively the terrorist threat emanating from Somalia
- Piracy: breaking the piracy business model
- Humanitarian: renewed commitment to tackling Somalia's humanitarian crisis
- International coordination: agreement on improved international handling of Somalia issues
Reception
According to
In addition, Somali Prime Minister
Campaigners also charged that the conference was not meant to address piracy or terrorism-related issues, but was instead a bid by the British government to protect its own economic interests in the strategically important and oil-rich Horn of Africa. As a consequence, they were reportedly organizing demonstrations in protest of the meeting.[5]
The Al-Shabaab group of Islamists issued a press release condemning the meeting as the talks kicked off. Describing the gathering as "not in any way different from the various other conferences aimed at bolstering the invading African forces that are prolonging the instability in Somalia", the group characterized the meeting's signatories as agenda-driven. It also reaffirmed its "position that we will not under any circumstances allow any form of foreign intervention to be used as an instrument to subjugate the Muslims of Somalia and that we will confront and counter, by any means possible, all the outcomes of the London Conference".[6]
During the talks, members of the Somali
Resolutions
The London Conference For Somalia ended with several resolutions. Describing the opportunity for change as "real", US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that the international community's emphasis in Somalia had now shifted from preventive to reconstructive tasks. Clinton also indicated that her administration would lobby for the imposition of sanctions on all parties impeding progress made by the Somali Transitional Federal Government. She cited among the latter preemptive measures travel bans and asset freezes, and pledged an additional $64 million in aid to the region.[3]
According to British Foreign Minister William Hague, conference participants affirmed their support for the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia's scheduled August 2012 shift from an interim administration to a permanent representative government and underscored the need for an inclusive political process. They also agreed to create a new counter-piracy center and to prosecute kingpins, ransom negotiators and intermediaries. In addition, attendees upheld existing plans to establish a joint financial management board to ensure a transparent dispensation of Somali and donor funds. They also pledged support for Somalia's stable regions, agreeing to form a new fund earmarked for local dispute resolution, job creation, basic service delivery and development of government sectors.[8]
UN Secretary-General
A follow-up meeting was scheduled to be held in June 2012 in Istanbul.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. "London Somalia Conference". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Mary Harper (21 February 2012). "Will the London conference help Somalia?". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Danny Kemp (23 February 2012). "World must help Somalia or 'pay the price'". AFP. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ Abdi Sheikh, Richard Lough (20 February 2012). "In "failed state" Somalia, instability is lucrative for some". The Star. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ Kunal Dutta, Jonathan Owen (19 February 2012). "World leaders plan crackdown on Somali pirates". The Independent. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ "SOMALIA: Shabab says London Conference aimed at carving up the Somalia Nation [Press Release]". Raxanreeb. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Somali Twitter users angered by London conference". StoryFul. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ William Hague (24 February 2012). "Security, stability, Somalia". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
