European Parliament resolution on the situation in Somalia and the taking hostage of humanitarian aid workers
Date: 2001-04-05
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Somalia, ethnic conflict, human rights, humanitarian aid, illegal restraint, self-employment, settlement of disputes

24.1.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 21 E/357

Thursday 5 April 2001

23. Situation in Somalia and attack against (cid:145)MØdecins sans frontiŁres(cid:146)

B5-0263, 0276, 0284, 0290, 0292 and 0301/2001

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Somalia and the taking hostage of humanitarian
aid workers

The European Parliament,

A. whereas,

in the latest incident, nine humanitarian aid workers were abducted in Mogadishu on
27 March, after gunmen loyal to Musa Sudi Yalahow, a faction leader whose militias control part of
the city, had attacked the compound of MØdecins sans FrontiŁres in northern Mogadishu; whereas
seven of the hostages have since been released, but whereas the two UN staff are still being held
captive;

B. whereas the security situation in Somalia, and particularly in Mogadishu, has deteriorated in recent
weeks, and whereas several armed clashes, including the 22 March attack on the provisional head-
quarters of the Transitional National Government in Mogadishu, have left at least 20 people dead,
most of them civilians;

C. having regard to the statements made by the UN Security Council demanding the (cid:145)immediate release(cid:146)
of the hostages, (cid:145)vigorously(cid:146) condemning their abduction and calling for the perpetrators to be pros-
ecuted,

D. whereas the persons taken hostage were in Somalia in order to carry out their professional duties on a

strictly humanitarian basis,

E. whereas their abduction constitutes a serious human rights violation,

F. whereas, for many years now, Somalia has been going through a period of great instability, with
conflicts between rival clans, and whereas this has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths,

G. whereas the Transitional National Government has been officially recognised by the UN as the only

government of Somalia,

H. having regard to the persistent difficulties encountered by the Transitional National Government to
stamp its authority in a peaceful manner on the country, which continues to exist in an extremely
difficult and unstable situation caused by the presence of armed militia, especially in Mogadishu, and
by the proliferation of landmines,

I. whereas the political, socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Somalia requires the international
community and, in particular, the European Union to pay specific attention to it in order to encourage
the peace process, the transitional institutions and the restoration and reconstruction of the country as
an entity, with respect for its territorial integrity,

Firmly condemns the attack on the compound of MØdecins sans FrontiŁres, the deaths resulting

1.
therefrom and the abduction of UN and humanitarian aid workers;

Expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and its support for the hostages and their

2.
families;

Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages still detained and for a guarantee of

3.
their safety and physical integrity;

Calls on the Transitional National Government to persist in its efforts to secure the release of the

4.
hostages;

5.
Deplores and condemns unreservedly the use of violence and the instances of banditry perpetrated by
the armed militia in Somalia and calls on the various faction leaders to refrain from using violence against
the inhabitants of their own country;

C 21 E/358

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

24.1.2002

Thursday 5 April 2001

6.
Urges all the parties involved to guarantee total respect for human rights and for international
humanitarian laws and also to guarantee the safety of humanitarian aid workers and United Nations staff
working in Somalia and to grant them direct access to that country(cid:146)s inhabitants;

7.
Reiterates its conviction that only through dialogue and negotiation between all the representatives of
the Somali people will it be possible for the conditions for the reconstruction and unity of Somalia to be
created;

8.
Calls on the Somali Transitional National Government to open, as quickly as possible, a constructive
dialogue on the path towards peace, stability and national reconciliation with all the representatives of
Somali society and, in particular, to open negotiations with the authorities of Somaliland and Puntland
with a view to reconstructing the country and restoring national unity;

9.
Calls, in particular, on the administrations of Somaliland and Puntland to open a constructive dia-
logue with the Transitional National Government and on all the parties in Somalia to cooperate and to
renounce the use of arms in order to address serious political, social and economic problems in the
country and to tackle together issues relating to aid management, education, health and the economy;

10.
Calls on the Somali faction leaders, in particular those based in Mogadishu, to cease armed oper-
ations, to establish constructive relations with the transitional institutions and to join the peace process so
that peace and stability may be restored;

Emphasises the need for vigilance so that Somali territory is not used for criminal activities and for

11.
the destabilisation of neighbouring countries;

Calls on all the countries in the region to refrain from supporting activities directed against the

12.
transitional institutions or activities which might imperil Somali unity and stability in the sub-region;

Vigorously condemns all supplies of illegal arms to Somalia and calls on the international commun-

13.
ity to guarantee total respect for the arms embargo;

Calls on the international community to step up its humanitarian aid and its cooperation activities
14.
in order to boost progress along the path towards national reconstruction, including through NGOs and
local communities;

Calls on the Council, the Member States and the Commission to take the requisite measures to

15.
support the Somali people in its search for peace and democracy;

16.
Calls for the European Union to take a consistent political approach to Somalia, as it did during the
conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in order to promote dialogue and negotiations with a view to resolv-
ing the major and most urgent problems affecting that country, for example by including Somalia within
the remit of the Council Presidency(cid:146)s special representative, Senator Rino Serri, or by appointing another
special representative for Somalia;

Calls on the European Union to supply whatever financial and technical aid is necessary to ensure

17.
the success of the peace initiative tabled by IGAD and Djibouti;

18.
Calls on the European Union to help the Transitional National Government to establish its authority
throughout Somali territory, in particular by contributing to the UNDP(cid:146)s civil protection programme which
seeks to improve judicial standards and practices, to promote the enforcement of laws, to support civil
society, to bring about the demobilisation of the armed groups and to step up operations to remove
landmines;

19.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, Commission, the UN Secretary-
General, the Somali Transitional National Government, the OAU, IGAD, the Djibouti Government and to
MØdecins sans FrontiŁres.