By CHARLES OMONDI in Nairobi and PSCU
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta Saturday appealed for
action to fully bring back Somalia into the fold of the international
community.
He said said the recent presidential elections in Somalia was
the latest indication that the country was on the right track, thanks to
the determination of its people, the commitment by the African Union
and the support of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(Igad).
“Indeed, the recent election of President Mohammed Abdullahi
Mohammed (Farmajo) is the latest and clearest indication of the
progressive success of our collective efforts, alongside the brave
people of Somalia,” President Kenyatta said.
President Kenyatta spoke in Nairobi when he hosted a special
Igad summit whose agenda was to find a lasting solution to return Somali
refugees back to their homes, the first summit of its kind to address
the refugee problem.
Lasting solutions
“What is clear to me, as it is to you leaders, and to all the
Somali refugees, is that the time for lasting solutions is now,” said
President Kenyatta, who is also the Igad rapporteur.
He made a passionate appeal that turned focus on the refugees
themselves and why it was the right time for them to go back home and
participate in building their nation.
“A refugee camp was never meant to be a permanent home, nor is
being a refugee a promise of losing your citizenship and your country,”
he said.
He detailed how more than 400,000 refugees from Somalia have
been cramped into the Dadaab refugee camp for more than two decades.
Gather pace
President Kenyatta also called on humanitarian and development
actors to operate from within Somalia as the country continued to gather
pace in return to normalcy.
“Now that Somalia is stabilising we must, all, stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters,” said the President.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn – who is also the
Igad Chairman – said the search for a lasting solution to the Somali
refugee problem must be placed at the centre of peace and security
efforts in the region.
He applauded the timing of the summit, saying: “This meeting
could hardly be more timely to address the plight of the Somali
refugees.”
Peace and security
Saying President Mohamed has a clear vision to develop
Somalia and address the problem of refugees, the Prime Minister called
for enhanced capacity for the Somali Government to win the war against
Al-Shabaab to ensure peace and security.
He encouraged development partners and financial institutions to
continue supporting the resilience of refugee hosting countries and
facilitate the voluntary repatriation and resettlement of refugees.
President Mohamed outlined the strategies his government had put
in place to provide a durable solution to the refugee problem,
including equipping the youth with skills and training that would enable
them to participate effectively in building their nation.
The summit
He urged humanitarian organisations and development partners to
relocate to Somalia, saying his Government is committed to providing a
conducive environment within which they can operate comfortably.
Other Igad heads of state who attended the summit included
presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Salva Kiir of South Sudan and
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti. Sudan was represented by its Vice-
President Hassabo Mohamed Abdulrahman.
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