Brussels, 15/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - Immediately after a mission in the Horn of Africa by a delegation of MEPs (25 October to 2 November 2008), the European Parliament adopted on 15 January in Strasbourg a resolution on ways to stabilise the region which is prey to many conflicts, a humanitarian crisis and an upsurge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden and along the Somali coast. The resolution, adopted by a large majority (570 votes for, 11 against and 27 abstentions), mainly calls for African Union peacekeeping forces in Somalia (AMISOM) to be bolstered and for the speedy deployment of the United Nations stabilisation force as soon as possible given the security the political situation. The request comes at a time when the Ethiopian army has announced its withdrawal from the Somali capital, as part of a total withdrawal plan.
The Parliament suggests that the EU Council appoint an EU representative/special envoy to the Horn of Africa. In Darfur, MEPs invite the Council and the international community to be far more active in their support for implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement in order to ensure UNAMID can fully deploy.
The Parliament condemns the increasingly frequent attacks on humanitarian personnel, which have put a serious constraint on rescue operations in Somalia, and invites the Ethiopian government to grant full access to humanitarian organisations in the Somali region of Ogaden.
Concerned by human rights violations, the Parliament invites the Eritrean government to immediately release imprisoned journalists. It also calls on the federal government of transition to condemn the kidnapping of two Italian catholic nuns, and on the authorities of Djibouti to identify and prosecute those responsible for the massacre in Arhiba in December 1991.
Alexandr Vondra, President-in-Office of the Council, welcomed the Parliament's involvement in the efforts made by the EU to face the challenges in the region, “which deserves more and more attention because of the major impact that it has on the EU”. The Council, he said, “is seeking to identify the regional links between conflicts underway”. As the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea is considered one of the main causes of the region's instability, regional cooperation must be strengthened in order to promote peace, stability and development of the Horn of Africa with political dialogue, ESDP instruments, and the naval operation (EUNAVFOR ATALANTA) deployed since last December off the coast of Somalia, as well as financial instruments such as the African Peace Facility and the Stability Instrument. (A.N./transl.jl)