EU condemns armed attacks in Somalia

A statement from the Swedish embassy in Nairobi said the EU foreign ministers expressed their deep concern over the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and called on all parties to the conflict to respect international law.

    They said the situation in the lawless nation that has been without an effective central government for two decades remains one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

    The ministers called on all armed groups to urgently lay down their weapons and join in a genuine broad-based dialogue with the TFG. The Council expresses its appreciation and support to the AU and AMISOM for their efforts.

    Insurgents groups -- Al-Shabaab and Hezbul Islam militant groups -- have stepped their attacks against government forces in the capital, over 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Many of them had been uprooted by fighting last year and had only recently returned to Mogadishu.

    The UN says the spike in attacks by insurgents comes at a time when the government is making concrete progress towards fulfilling its transitional agenda, which the population has increasingly welcomed.

    The EU Council underlined the importance of a comprehensive approach to the situation in Somalia, linking security with development, rule of law and respect for human rights, gender related aspects and international humanitarian law.

    It stressed that long term assistance from international partners cannot be effective without a stabilization of the security situation.

    The Council welcomed the successful conduct of the EU Navfor Atalanta operation, which is playing a leading role in international anti-piracy efforts as well as the international community's ongoing work to ensure prosecution of piracy, Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.chinaview.cn for full version.