UN officials in Somalia on spot for skipping justice and accountability for human rights violations

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UN officials in Somalia on spot for skipping justice and accountability for human rights violations

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – Just a day following the United Nations Day, Catriona Laing, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), conducted a press conference i

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UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Catriona Laing (centre) and her deputies speak during a press conference in Mogadishu on Wednesday. | PHOTO/UNSOM.

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – Just a day following the United Nations Day, Catriona Laing, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), conducted a press conference in Mogadishu, alongside her deputies, which included Anita Kiki Gbeho, Deputy Special Representative for Somalia (UNSOM), George Conway, Deputy Special Representative, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, and Aisa Kacyira, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS).

During her opening statement, Catriona Laing discussed the achievements of UN operations in Somalia, a country grappling with a humanitarian crisis, ongoing violence, and human rights abuses by both Al-Shabaab and government forces allied with rival clan militia.

However, journalists pressed her on her omission of human rights issues. She later acknowledged the importance of addressing these issues, stating, "Going back to Laascaanood and on accountability, you are right, I did not mention that in my opening remarks, but not because it is not important. I agree with the underlying tenor of your question, which is that when there has been conflict and atrocities on both sides, one hugely important part of moving forward and addressing the root causes of any conflict is ensuring accountability for injustice.”

JOURNALIST KILLED

When asked whether she wanted to condemn the killing of journalist Abdifatah Moalim Nur (Qeys), who was killed in Mogadishu the previous week, Catriona Laing responded, "One of the reasons I did not cover this in detail in my statement is that we are about to release a report on exactly this topic.”

Local journalists have reported that their colleagues who lost their lives were either killed by Al-Shabaab or by the same security forces that receive UN funding.

It is widely known among many Somalis that the UN has been muzzled and compelled to cease the publication of public reports regarding government human rights violations. This situation unfolded after the expulsion of the UN Special Representative to the country in December 2018. Nicholas Haysom faced expulsion for expressing concerns about the deaths of approximately 15 protesters and the detention of around 300 individuals in Baidoa that year.

The Deputy Special Representative, Anita Kiki, found herself at a loss for a response when discussing the establishment of local centers serving as alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to facilitate community conflict resolution.

However, when pressed by a journalist to provide just one example, she committed to locating and providing the relevant information at a later time.

Despite being one of the most pivotal UN institutions in the country, the mission’s public perception has waned due to its perceived lack of transparency and its apparent susceptibility to influence from corrupt government leaders in Mogadishu.