U.N. urged to put troops in Somalia

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council called Monday on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to begin planning for the possible deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to Somalia to bolster a meager African force.

The council also urged African states to pledge more soldiers to the undermanned African Union mission.

The U.N. authorized the AU to send an 8,000-strong peacekeeping force to Somalia in February after Ethiopian-backed government troops ousted a fundamentalist Islamic movement that had controlled much of the south. The council on Monday unanimously approved extending the resolution for six months.

Only 1,800 troops from Uganda are on the ground, far fewer than the number needed to bring a lasting peace to the country. Troop deployments from other African countries have been delayed because of lack of funding and logistical help.

The resolution, sponsored by Britain, calls on Ban to begin making contingency plans for the possible deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to replace the African force, although it doesn’t provide a timeline for any potential handover.

South Africa’s U.N. ambassador, Dumisani Kumalo, said that the African countries on the council – South Africa, Ghana and the Republic of Congo – supported the resolution without “great enthusiasm” because they expected more decisive action.

He said the AU is “doing the job that the U.N. is supposed to be doing,” and in any case doesn’t have the resources to fulfill its mandate.

“When your house is on fire, the neighbors come with the buckets of water. But the neighbors are not the fire engine. The fire engine is the United Nations,” he said.

Some Security Council countries, such as China, have indicated that they believe there must be a peace to keep before U.N. troops are sent.