20 Sep 2009

The African Union envoy to Somalia has urged the international community to provide forces fighting the country's militants with weapons.

Nicolas Bwakira made the appeal on Saturday, two days after twin suicide bombings by al-Shabaab militants in Mogadishu killed 17 African peacekeepers, including the deputy commander of the AU force in Somalia.

"If we go after Shabaab, we'd destroy them in no time," Bwakira told journalists in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, but added that fighting with 'enemies' required arms superior to the capacity of al-Shabaab's.

He highlighted the African Union (AU) mission was determined to uproot violence in Somalia, noting that the deadly bombings had not demoralized the force, despite more threats coming from al-Shabaab.

Bwakira said the attacks should not prevent countries from keeping their promises to beef up the AU force in the war-torn Horn of African nation.

The AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) currently operates with 5,000 soldiers as Nigeria and Ghana have so far failed to deploy their pledged troops, leaving the force 3,000 shy of the intended 8,000.

The United Nations has said it will take over the peacekeeping force in the central-African nation, but has not specified the date.

There is currently an arms embargo on Somalia, where al-Shabaab and its allies control most towns and cities across the country, whereas the government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed rules over just parts of Mogadishu.

Somalia has not had a functioning central government since 1991, which has resulted in a state of anarchy and a complete breakdown of law and order in the country, leaving some three million people in dire need of food aid.

presstv