U.N. envoy Kay raises concerns about Somalia's stability

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

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Somalia should be focusing more on national reconciliation to consolidate political gains made last year, the U.N. special envoy to the country said.

Nicholas Kay expressed concern about violence tied to secession ambitions in the southern port city of Kismayo.

Delegates to a May conference declared a regional state in the coastal city of Kismayo.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Somalia said clashes in the region resulted in "a number of casualties, including civilian deaths" in the coastal city.

Kay said the U.N. mission was calling on all parties to the violence to put down their weapons and engage in political dialogue.

Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud told a May donors conference the country had a long road to recovery despite political gains.

The U.N. Security Council in June issued a statement expressing concern about Somalia's long-term prospects.

"This is not the time to engage in violence which will entrench positions and make it all the harder to achieve a settlement and begin reconciliation," Kay said in a Saturday statement.

Somalia last year formed a formal central government in Mogadishu for the first time since the 1990s.

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