Islamic countries urge US to stop its air strikes ...

In a thorny demand made at a controversial venue, Islamic countries have asked the United Nations to halt unilateral interventions in Somalia dominated by military strikes by the United States.

The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) wants any intervention in Somalia to be multilateral, under the stewardship of the United Nations, and to be designed to initiate dialogue among the warring factions rather than use military might. The demands were made at a meeting in Uganda, which is currently chairing the OIC, but thinks of the US as an indispensable ally in ending the crisis in Somalia.

The week-long meeting, attended by about 500 delegates from 30 countries, also discussed the Darfur crisis in Sudan, where again Uganda has been critical of President Omar al-Bashir’s role in the region’s troubles, while the OIC has been rallying support to save him from prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

The Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (PUIC) suggested that America’s unilateral intervention in Somalia could ultimately limit co-operation by Muslim countries until a UN arrangement is reached.

A resolution adopted at the end of the meeting appealed for resistance to foreign occupation and aggression but left room for dialogue between Islamic and Western parliaments on major issues including the Somalia crisis and terrorism.

“Terrorism has no race or religion. Everybody condemns it. Everybody should be brought on board. OIC is a member of the UN and has a lot of weight. We shall give support to all the people of Somalia. We support maintaining peace and stability in Somalia,” said Siddig Yousif Abu-Agla, Director of Cabinet for PUIC.

“When the US handled the terrorism war, it was in accordance with the American policy. So we are now demanding a much broader policy under the United Nations whose actions are more binding,” said Hussein Kyanjo, a member of the PUIC Council and also a Ugandan opposition legislator.

“We don’t want a direct intervention. The thinking is that different factions be hosted in one of the capitals outside Somalia to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis. We are avoiding a radical approach. We have been pushing the Somali MPs to identify elements in Al-Shabaab whom we can support to start the peace talks,” he added.

The US is aware that the terrorist cells sheltering in Somalia threaten its installations in the region, especially East Africa. In order to prevent al-Qaeda establishing itself in the region, the US set up base in neighbouring Djibouti in late 2002, as part of the Combined Joint Task Force: Horn of Africa.

... But Uganda roots for American presence

The Ugandan government said that the OIC demands were unrealistic, and that it would not support any move to get the United States out of Somalia.

“The problem has become too big for us to handle. What we — governments and the OIC — should discuss is how the manner and nature of engagement by the US can be reviewed. Otherwise, they have the financial muscle, which we want. We can’t just tell them to stay away,” said Isaac Musumba Uganda’s Minister for Regional Co-operation.

The opposition legislator, Mr Kyanjo is also of the view that the US should not exit completely. He said proposals had filtered in during the Kampala meeting that a country with better resources and reasonable policy be seconded to lead the war against terror under a UN arrangement. This implies that once the US administration restructures its foreign policy to suit the interests of other stakeholders, it could receive green light to take the lead role.

Somalia leaders’ support

There are some Somali leaders who also want the United States to stay. Speaking to journalists in Kampala, Mukhtar Mohammed Yusuf, a Somali legislator, said, “We want the US to help us resettle. We believe if the US can train our forces, army and police, we can get back where we were.”

Uganda has previously supported peace talks between different Somali factions although its role is now limited to participation in the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) and to the more active role of peacekeeping. “Our primary role is peace in Somalia. However, our participation is at a multilateral level,” said Mr Musumba.

The US is aware that the terrorist cells sheltering in Somalia threaten its installations in the region, especially East Africa. In order to prevent al-Qaeda establishing itself in the region, the US set up base in neighbouring Djibouti in late 2002, as part of the Combined Joint Task Force: Horn of Africa. With nearly 2,000 troops based in an old French Foreign Legion camp, as well as naval and air patrols involving other Western nations, Washington has been keeping close tabs on the region.