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African leaders mull Somali force AU fails to secure Somali force
(about 7 hours later)
African Union leaders are discussing sending a peacekeeping force to Somalia to prevent renewed conflict, on the final day of a summit in Ethiopia. African Union leaders have failed to secure full numbers for a planned peacekeeping force in Somalia, following a two-day summit in Ethiopia.
The AU wants to send an 8,000-strong force to replace departing Ethiopian troops, whose intervention swept Islamists from power last month. Speaking at the closure, new AU chairman John Kufuor said several nations had pledged troops - but only 4,000 out of a required 8,000.
But so far only three nations have come up with concrete offers of troops. The force is due to replace withdrawing Ethiopian soldiers, whose intervention swept Islamists from power last month.
Meanwhile, Somalia's president has agreed to host a reconciliation conference in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Somalia's leader has agreed to host a reconciliation conference.
President Abdullahi Yusuf told the AU summit that the conference would include clan and religious leaders but he did not say whether moderates from the ousted Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) would be invited. At the start of the meeting in Addis Adaba, 4,000 troops were committed by Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi.
European Union Development Commissioner Louis Michel said this meant the EU would be able to release 15m euros ($20m) to fund the peacekeeping force. We appeal to member states to contribute and we are still expecting them to answer AU chairman John Kufuor
The EU, the US and the UN have all urged Mr Yusuf to include moderate Islamists in his administration. Mr Kufuor, who is president of Ghana, said there had been no increase in that number, but he hoped other countries would come forward.
The US has offered to provide air support for the peacekeeping force. "We appeal to member states to contribute and we are still expecting them to answer," he said, adding that the deployment would "commence as soon as possible".
In other developments at the summit: Mr Kufuor was elected as the new AU chairman on Monday, bypassing Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir because of the conflict in Darfur.
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  • Ghana was chosen to be the next AU chair, instead of Sudan
  • Sudan still refuses to let UN peacekeepers go to Darfur
  • UN chief Ban Ki-moon said urgent action was needed to tackle climate change in Africa.
 Mr Bashir has repeatedly denied backing the Janjaweed militias, accused of carrying out widespread atrocities in Darfur and says the problems there have been exaggerated.
On Monday, AU commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare said peacekeepers were needed in Somalia to prevent renewed conflict. Anarchy fears
"If African troops are not in place quickly, then there will be chaos," he said in his opening remarks to the summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Earlier on Tuesday, Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf announced a reconciliation conference - the date still to be confirmed - saying it would give all Somalis "a fair chance" to participate in efforts to return to lasting stability.
POSSIBLE PEACEKEEPERS Nine battalions proposed - 7,600 troops:Uganda: 1,500 troops offered, subject to parliamentary approvalMalawi: Up to 1,000 troops offeredNigeria: 1,000 troops offeredGhana: Reportedly offered troopsBenin: ConsideringBurundi: ConsideringTanzania: ConsideringRwanda: ConsideringSouth Africa: Not sending troopsPOSSIBLE PEACEKEEPERS Nine battalions proposed - 7,600 troops:Uganda: 1,500 troops offered, subject to parliamentary approvalMalawi: Up to 1,000 troops offeredNigeria: 1,000 troops offeredGhana: Reportedly offered troopsBenin: ConsideringBurundi: ConsideringTanzania: ConsideringRwanda: ConsideringSouth Africa: Not sending troops
"We need 8,000 soldiers, today we have hardly 4,000. We cannot simply wait for others to do the work in our place." He said the conference would include clan and religious leaders but he did not say whether moderates from the ousted Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) would be invited.
In December, thousands of Ethiopian soldiers were sent to help the weak Somali interim government oust the UIC which had controlled much of southern and central Somalia for six months. European Union Development Commissioner Louis Michel said this meant the EU would be able to release 15m euros ($20m) to fund the peacekeeping force.
The EU, the US and the UN have all urged Mr Yusuf to include moderate Islamists in his administration. The US has offered to provide air support for the peacekeeping force.
In December, thousands of Ethiopian soldiers were sent to help the weak Somali interim government oust the UIC, which controlled much of southern and central Somalia for six months.
But Ethiopia says it is seeking an early withdrawal from the country and has already begun pulling some of its troops out.But Ethiopia says it is seeking an early withdrawal from the country and has already begun pulling some of its troops out.
The fear, says the BBC's Adam Mynott, is that unless insecurity is contained quickly, Somalia will slip back to the anarchic misrule which has prevailed in the country for the past 16 years.The fear, says the BBC's Adam Mynott, is that unless insecurity is contained quickly, Somalia will slip back to the anarchic misrule which has prevailed in the country for the past 16 years.
Warning
So far three countries - Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi - have agreed to contribute troops.
There are reports that Benin, Burundi, Ghana may have offered to send soldiers but these have not been confirmed.
AU peace and security commissioner Said Djinnit told the BBC that troops from more countries were needed.
"I think we have made some progress because we are at the point where we are putting together conditions for an early deployment of at least the first three battalions," he said.
"And we are also in the process of creating logistical and financial conditions but we do hope that during the debate at the summit there'll be more pledges."
Meanwhile, a previously unknown Somali group threatened to fight any peacekeepers.Meanwhile, a previously unknown Somali group threatened to fight any peacekeepers.
An Islamic website posted a message from the "Popular Resistance Movement" that read: "Somalia is not a place where you can come to earn a salary - it is a place where you can die."An Islamic website posted a message from the "Popular Resistance Movement" that read: "Somalia is not a place where you can come to earn a salary - it is a place where you can die."