Saturday, 26 February 2011

UN chief "deplores" loss of life in Somalia: spokesperson

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has expressed concern about the recent deaths caused by clashes in Somalia and deplored the "high human cost of the conflict," his spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here Friday.

"The secretary-general is following the reports of heavy fighting in Somalia," Nesirky said at a news briefing. "He deplores the high human cost of the conflict and expresses his sincere condolences to the families of those civilians, forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and soldiers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) killed."

The TFG forces and AMISOM have been fighting militant group Al- Shabaab on multiple fronts, and Somali civilians have been caught in the crossfire.

Ban has reiterated his support for the TFG as well as AMISOM, which are working to keep the peace in Somalia under "a difficult mandate," Nesirky said.

The TFG was established in 2004 as an interim government for Somalia and is bolstered by the African Union (AU) in the form of AMISOM forces. According to Nesirky, Ban said that he hopes the government will remain strong in the face of fighting.

"In this critical moment, we hope the leadership of the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) will remain united and provide the necessary political guidance, support and encouragement to the forces of the TFG and AMISOM," the spokesman added.

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