Arab League welcomes UAE-mediated ceasefire in Somalia

The Arab League on Friday welcomed a recent agreement between Somalia's State of Puntland and State of Galmudug to implement a ceasefire that was brokered by the United Arab Emirates, UAE.

"The agreement is a positive step towards establishing security and stability in Somalia," Spokesperson of the Secretary-General of the Arab League Mahmoud Afifi said in a statement.

Afifi praised the UAE for its efforts in sponsoring the negotiations that have led to the agreement which "complements other recent positive developments in Somalia, including the creation of the State of Hir-Shabelle and elections to choose a president and an administration."

The pan-Arab organisation is committed to backing Somalia, based on relevant resolutions issued by Arab Summits and the Arab Ministerial Council about legislative and presidential elections before the end of this year, he stressed.

Earlier, the Secretary-General of the league sent a delegation to monitor Somalian elections and instructed the league to join the Electoral Dispute Resolution Mechanism, an advisory body in which the United Nations and the African Union are members.

He also directed the league's mission in Mogadishu to co-ordinate Arab support for Somalia, oversee assistance extended to the Somalian authorities in all spheres, including US$90,000 to purchase equipment for a university hospital in Shangani.