UPI
Saturday, June 08, 2013
The fledgling government in Somalia could face a volatile future
given political rivalries developing along the coast, the U.N. deputy
secretary-general said.
Somalia last year established a formal central government in
Mogadishu for the first time since the 1990s. Somali President Hassan
Sheik Mohamud has boasted of the country's fundamental gains, but
expressed concern about the ongoing threat from militant group
al-Shabaab.
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told the Security Council political progress could unravel in Somalia without enduring international support.
"Somalia will require sustained and generous international support to
continue on the path of progress," he said in a statement Thursday.
"This means a clear commitment to the federal government to rapidly
develop its plans and build its capacities."
Delegates at a London donors conference for Somalia in May expressed
similar concerns, saying Somalia has a long road to stability ahead.
Eliasson raised concerns about the central government's authority
after delegates to a May conference declared a regional state in the
coastal city of Kismayo.
"While there have so far been no reports of military confrontation, the situation remains volatile," Eliasson said.
The central government declared the state to be unconstitutional.