Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in Somalia, adopted by FIDH’s Congress in Yerevan

11/04/2010
Press release
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Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in Somalia
Presented by the Ligue Djiboutienne des droits de l’Homme

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) meeting at its XXXVIIth Congress in Yerevan, Armenia,

Considering the conflict which opposes the army of the Transitional Federal Government and the armed groups of Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, notably the violent fighting which took place in the capital city Mogadiscio in March 2010;

Considering the violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed at that occasion by the parties in conflict: summary executions of civilians; civilians killed in indiscriminate shelling and shooting, car bombings, destruction and pillage of goods, etc;

Considering that UN agencies estimate that since 2007 some 900,000 individuals have been forced to flee from the fighting raging in Mogadiscio;
Taking into account the failure of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to protect civilians;

Condemning the fact that, in 2009, 9 journalists were killed and 15 others arbitrarily arrested for having denounced the human rights violations committed in their country;

Condemning the killing of 10 humanitarian agents in 2009 and the fact that 10 others are still being held in captivity;

Considering the obstacles to the delivery of aid;

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), meeting at its XXXVIIth Congress in Yerevan, Armenia,

Urges the parties in conflict to stop immediately all acts of violence and exactions committed against civilians and humanitarian aid workers in violation of international humanitarian rights and humanitarian law;

Urges the belligerents to stop diverting humanitarian aid for civilians;

Calls on the UN agencies to reformulate their strategies of aid delivery in order to avoid, in so far as possible, any diversion by the conflicting parties;

Calls on the UNSC to establish an International commission of inquiry to shed light on the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and to propose adequate judicial recourses to fight against the impunity of their perpetrators;

Calls on the international community
 to facilitate a political settlement of the conflict;
 to support the establishment of a strategy on national security which takes into account the rule of law and the protection of human rights as well as objectives relating to disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, together with the creation of mechanism of governance, supervision and control, which will govern the functioning of the security forces, in conformity with Resolution 1910 (2010) adopted on January 28 2010 by the UNSC.

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