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Somalia

UN Envoy says world should not give up on Somalia

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has said that, although the situation in Somalia appears discouraging, the international community should not give up on its moral obligations and responsibilities to Somalis.

Speaking in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he called for further assistance for the Transitional Federal Government, to make it a more credible partner to its own people and to the international community.

He also urged the international community to do more to be physically located in the capital, Mogadishu, in order to be closer to the victims of the country's many years of instability and insecurity.

Ould-Abdallah also called for more attention to be paid to the voices of the Somalis, the neighbouring countries and Somalis in the diaspora, who send about $1.2 billion annually in remittances.