US Somali ‘peace force’ worries EU (Business Day)

Reuters
BRUSSELS — European Union (EU) experts say the US is pushing for deployment of a regional peacekeeping force in Somalia and this could trigger a wider war in the region, European commission sources said on Tuesday.

However, a US state department official in Washington said: “The whole premise that the US wants to forcibly impose an outside peacekeeping mission on to that situation in Somalia, that is 100% false.” The official declined to be named.

The commission sources said its department for African development had warned EU governments that such a deployment could give cover for a larger military operation against the Islamists who control Mogadishu.

The warning said a peacekeeping operation without the consent of all sides would be seen as an “invading force” and exacerbate the risk of conflict.

A United Nations Security Council committee is considering what action to take after receiving a report last week that there were extensive illegal arms flows into Somalia, both to the Islamic Courts Union and to the shaky interim government.

The sources said US officials had drafted a document calling for a partial lifting of the arms embargo and the deployment of a regional peacekeeping force.

One EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some members shared Brussels’ misgivings but Britain and France were reluctant to oppose the US due to the “terrorism issue”.
European Commission experts were also concerned the EU could come under pressure to fund a regional force through its Africa Peace Facility. The African Union has requested €15m for the mission.

US officials have said the administration is considering several ideas for Somalia, possibly including a regional force. The US has made it clear that neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia and Eritrea should not be allowed to interfere in Somali affairs.

The Brussels experts say a regional force could legitimise an Ethiopian military presence denied by Addis Ababa, and undermine EU-backed efforts to reach a political settlement. For more story...