UNOSOM II takes 'decisive action' to restore peace; killing of 24 peace-keepers is biggest single UN loss ever.

Following a violent ambush of UN peace-keepers in Somalia's capital city of Mogadishu on 5 June, the UN Security Council strongly condemned the "unprovoked armed attacks", stating that they "appear to have been part of a calculated and premeditated series of cease-fire violations to prevent by intimidation" the UN Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II) from carrying out its mandate. The incident - described as the biggest single loss incurred by a UN peace-keeping operation - resulted in the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers and the wounding of more than 50.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Admiral Jonathan Howe of the United States, in an unusually harsh statement on 12 June, said the troops were "murdered as they sought to serve the neediest people in the city".

He stated that 12 of the soldiers were helping to unload food at a feeding station "when they were foully attacked by cowards who placed women and children in front of armed men".

In resolution 837 (1993), adopted unanimously on Sunday evening, 6 June, the 15-member Council:

* Re-emphasized the crucial importance of the early implementation of the disarmament of all Somali parties, including movements and factions, and of neutralizing radio broadcasting systems "that contribute to the violence and attacks directed against UNOSOM II":

* Demanded that all Somali parties, including movements and factions, comply fully with commitments they had undertaken, in particular with their January 1993 Agreement on Implementing the Cease-fire and on Modalities of Disarmament; and

* Reaffirmed that the Secretary-General was authorized under resolution 814 (1993) to take "all necessary measures against all those responsible for the armed attacks", including those who publicly incited such attacks, "to establish the effective authority of UNOSOM II throughout Somalia, including securing the investigation of their actions and their arrest and detention for prosecution, trial and punishment".

(By resolution 814, adopted on 26 March 1993, UNOSOM II became the first UN peace-keeping operation authorized to use force under the provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter.)

The Council, also in resolution 837, stated that the "premeditated" attacks had been "launched by forces apparently belonging to the United Somali Congress (USC/SNA)", led by General Mohamed Farah Aidid. It requested the Secretary-General urgently to "inquire into the incident, with particular emphasis on the role of those factional leaders involved".

It also encouraged the "rapid and accelerated deployment of all UNOSOM II contingents to meet the full requirement of 28,000 men, all ranks, as well as equipment".

Member States were urged to "contribute, on an emergency basis, military support and transportation" to provide UNOSOM II the appropriate capability to "confront and deter armed attacks directed against it in the accomplishment of its mandate".

The Council reaffirmed its "commitment to assist the people of Somalia in re-establishing conditions of normal life", and stressed that the international community is involved in order "to help the people of Somalia who have suffered untold miseries due to years of civil strife".

It was "convinced that the restoration of law and order throughout Somalia would contribute to humanitarian relief operations, reconciliation and political settlement, as well as to the rehabiliation of Somalia's political institutions and economy".

On 8 June. II Somali parties condemned the attack on UNOSOM forces and expressed support for Council resolution 837.

UNOSOM acts

UNOSOM II forces engaged in a series of military actions after the 5 June killings.

On 6 June, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali urged that "prompt and firm action be taken against the perpetrators of this crime".

On II June, UNOSOM II forces began a "decisive action to restore peace to Mogadishu", according to a statement of the Secretary-General.

By air and ground military actions, UNOSOM II removed Radio Mogadishu from control of the Somali National Alliance (SNA), and disabled or destroyed weapons and equipment located in three storage sites and a clandestine military facility.

The Secretary-General said the military action should be "seen in the context of the international community's commitment to the national disarmament programme endorsed by all Somaii parties".

Admiral Howe stated on 12 June that in Mogadishu "far too many weapons exist, both inside and outside authorized storage areas". The USC/SNA had "shown no inclination to undertake a programme of disarmament. Instead, it has continued to increase its stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, and has moved arms and vehicles out of authorized weapons storage sites - in direct violation of agreements".

He further stated that "UNOSOM II is impartial and takes no sides in disputes among factions or clans", but the Operation would "not permit one faction to prevent the distribution of food supplies, or to slow the rebuilding of schools, clinics and roads".

On 17 June, UNOSOM raided the headquarters and weapons stores of the SNA/USC faction to deprive General Aidid of weapons and tools needed to intimidate the Somali people.

A spokesman for the Secretary-General stated: "Aidid needs to be understood for what he is: one of the warlords largely responsible for the deaths of 350,000 Somalis - people who were killed or starved to death by power-hungry warlords."

He called the operation a "success", as UNOSOM II troops were in control of the USC/SNA complex, and the militia had been driven from its base with its command and control capability disrupted.

UNOSOM forces suffered casualties in the 17 June raid: one Pakistani and four Moroccan soldiers were killed, and 46 from France, Morocco, Pakistan and the United States were wounded.

Admiral Howe said that at the time of the raid against the SNA/USC compound, a separate operation had been conducted to arrest Gen. Aidid. UNOSOM II Force Commander Lieutenant-General Cevik Bir of Turkey had been directed to detain Aidid "as soon as feasible" in connection with the investigation of the 5 June attack, as mandated by the Council.

Admiral Howe said that charges being investigated included: "conspiracy to conduct premeditated attacks against UN forces; crimes against humanity (article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Convention); and endangering civilians and UN personnel through organized incitement of violence".

Further clashes in Mogadishu were reported at the end of June. A UNOSOM Pakistani soldier and two Somali gunmen were killed on 28 June. Subsequently, a compound area housing the militia responsible for that incident was destroyed on 30 June, with no reported injuries to UNOSOM troops or Somalis.

From UNITAF to

UNOSOM II

UNOSOM II assumed operational authority on 4 May, taking over from the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the United States-led international forces, which had landed in Somalia on 9 December under the banner of "Operation Restore Hope". UNITAF had a Security Council mandate to protect relief aid deliveries to victims of the country's famine.

Special Representative Howe on 4 May said UNITAF had succeeded in restoring hope to Somalia.

UNOSOM II had a broader mandate, he said, as it would continue to work for peace, stability, law and order in Somalia and would assist in providing relief and in reconstructing the economy. In many areas, priorities were rehabilitation and development, rather than just survival.

A major task for UNOSOM II would be implementation of the Addis Ababa agreements of January and March 1993, Admiral Howe said, by which the leaders of 15 Somali factions agreed on disarmament and steps towards reconstruction, including the establishment of a Transitional National Council vested with administrative and executive authority.

While the Somali people would be responsible for the success of those agreements, he went on, UNOSOM II would assist them during a two-year transitional period to re-establish legitimate representative government in order to restore civil institutions, ensure economic recovery and provide for their own security.

When deployed at full strength, UNOSOM II is to consist of 28,000 soldiers and logistical support personnel, and a civilian staff of approximately 2,800, making it the largest peace-keeping force in UN history.

The following countries have troops or intend to send them to Somalia: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States and Zimbabwe.

Debate:

Resolve pledged

The resolve to continue UNOSOM II's mission despite the killings of the Pakistani peace-keepers was apparent in Council debate on 6 June.

Pakistan said that its soldiers, who constituted the bulk of UNOSOM II, had gone to Somalia as "men and messengers of peace", and it was owed to them that "their sacrifice will not be in vain, and that it will lead to peace in the tortured land of Somalia".

The United States, blaming the leaders of the USC/SNA for the killing said: "Those who would challenge the authority of this body to enforce its resolutions must know that we stand firm in our resolve to bring peace and reconciliation to Somalia and that they will pay a heavy price for ignoring the Council."

Support for UNOSOM II was also voiced by African countries.

Djibouti said the situation in Somalia called for a "careful and determined approach to disarm all factions and movements, to collect all weapons and to inculcate a sense of security", and UNOSOM II had to "punish anyone who violates civilized behaviour".

Cape Verde said the attack on UNOSOM II was even more condemnable, considering that the peacekeepers had been able to "establish a climate conducive to the eradication of starvation of the Somali population".

Other countries which addressed the Council were Brazil, China, France, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, Spain, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.

Casualties regretted

After an incident involving civilian casualties among the Somalis, the Security Council issued a statement on 14 June, by which it deeply regretted the casualties, while strongly endorsing the actions undertaken by UNOSOM II.

Preliminary reports indicated that "civilian crowds, including women and children, have been used by General Aidid and his supporters as human shields to screen attacks on fixed guard posts or strong points", the Council stated.

On 12 June, Lt.-Gen. Bir had assured Somalis that actions by UNOSOM II were planned always with the intent of "minimizing the threat to innocent civilians".

On 18 June, the Council condemned the "practice of some Somali factions and movements in using women and children as human shields to perpetrate their attacks against UNOSOM", and deplored the civilian deaths "that have resulted despite the timely measures adopted to prevent this from happening".

On 21 June, a UN spokesman said that the conflict in south Mogadishu had been isolated and the rest of the country had continued to cooperate with the Organization.

Admiral Howe said on 29 June that security in Somalia would improve when forces like Gen. Aidid's were under control. He hoped that "coercive disarmament" would soon give way to "cooperative disarmament".

Humanitarian

work continues

While UNOSOM II forces were heavily preoccupied with bringing the security situation in Mogadishu under control, it was pledged that they would "continue to ensure that the humanitarian work of the international community is not hindered", the Secretary-General's spokesman said on 14 June.

A consultation on humanitarian aid, with the aim of identifying objectives in Somalia in the wake of the new violence, was held on 22 June in Nairobi, Kenya. Chaired by Hugh Cholmondeley, the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Coordinator in Somalia, the meeting was attended by about 70 representatives of donor countries and nongovernmental organizations.

Also that day, it was reported from Mogadishu that 14 feeding sites in the city had received 10 metric tons of food each, with security provided by troops from Pakistan, Italy and the United Arab Emirates. It was planned to expand the food distribution to more sites.

As for political reconciliation, the Conference of Kismayo Elders on 3 June had agreed on a Declaration of Peace and Reconciliation, aimed at restoring stability to that southern Somatian port city, a site of frequent clashes among different factions in early 1993. The Conference resumed on 24 June, but without the attendance of political faction leaders, at the Elders' request.

Refugees

There was hope for early repatriation of Somali refugees in Ethiopia, but not so for refugees in Kenya, the World Food Programme (WFP) said in statements on 9 June.

The Programme reported that the number of Somali refugees in Ethiopia had dropped from almost 500,000 to about 395,000, due to the return of relative peace in parts of north-west Somalia.

An assessment mission of WFP and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees had estimated that by the end of 1993 that number might be reduced to 150,000.

In announcing a 15-month expansion of its refugee feeding operation in Kenya, WFP said it would provide nearly 100,000 metric tons of food to 310,000 Somali refugees there, in addition to 22,000 Sudanese and 17,000 Ethiopian refugees. During that time, a "massive repatriation of the Somali refugees is unlikely", the Programme said.

Turn the tide

While the killings of UN peace-keepers in Mogadishu and the subsequent UNOSOM II military retaliation and disarmament efforts understandably made headlines, the quieter battle against starvation in Somalia can be said to have taken a back seat in the world media.

A brief chronicle of the fight against the Somalian famine - resulting in an estimated 350,000 deaths in 1992 - was presented by WFR in a May 1993 profile, WFP describes how the deployment of international forces to secure relief deliveries helped turn the tide for the better.

Food deliveries to Somalia in 1992 were "one of WFP's most difficult and frustrating emergency operations in its 30-year history", it was stated.

While WFP managed to open the port of Mogadishu to cargo ships in May 1992 and mounted an air bridge in August, moving food to the interior of Somalia proved dangerous and sporadic. Armed looters in Mogadishu and Berbera reportedly made off with more than 15,000 tonnes of relief rations. Relief workers were threatened, ships and aircraft were shot at and, "in general, WFP was prevented from doing its job".

"The turning point came in December, with Operation Restore Hope", the Un/United States military intervention to secure transport routes, the report states. By the end of 1992, WFP had transported more than 103,000 metric tons of food to Somalia and had scheduled 113,000 tonnes for delivery in the first three months of 1993.