New York, 23 April-(ANA)- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spoken against sending a U.N. force to lawless Somalia anytime soon, calling it a high-risk move that would likely prompt attacks against the peacekeepers.
Instead, Ban recommended in his latest report for the Security Council, a phased approach starting by building up support for African Union peacekeepers already in Somalia and for Somali security forces.
The Security Council, long under pressure from African states to send a U.N. force to the Horn of Africa country, has repeatedly delayed a decision. It is due to consider the matter again by June 1.
Ban, always skeptical of the plan, said that "deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation directly, at this stage, would be a high risk option."
Given the divisions between Somali factions, "such an operation could trigger opposition from substantial elements of Somali society opposed to international military intervention," the report said.(ANA)
Amnesty/Report