A United Nations report released on Friday pressed for world support for African peacekeepers in Somalia but warned that pursuing military solutions in Mogadishu was likely to be "counter-productive". "The international community should urgently support the African Union with all means at its disposal," the report by UN chief Ban Ki-moon said.It stressed the need to provide "sufficient financial and logistical resources" to the AU stabilisation force to enable it to complete its deployment and facilitate the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops. But the report also warned that pursuing "military solutions to stabilise Mogadishu is likely to be counter-productive, creating long-term resentment among certain clans and communities and damaging prospects for the reconciliation process."
It underscored the need to "dissuade some regional actors from contributing to instability and the proliferation of arms in Somalia, while encouraging positive contribution from others".
The report was released as at least 113 civilians were killed and 229 wounded in three days of fighting between Ethiopian forces and Islamist insurgents in the Somali capital, according to a local human rights group.