A U.N. Security Council statement on Friday demanded that all parties withdraw from fighting around Baidoa, Somalia, the seat of the weak transitional government. The council called on all parties to refrain from any actions that could provoke or perpetuate violence and violations of human rights, contribute to unnecessary tension and mistrust, endanger the cease-fire and political process, or further damage the humanitarian situation, council president and Qatari Ambassador Nassir al-Nasser said. The Islamic Courts Militia (ICM) had taken much of the east coast of Somalia, including its major shipping port, Mogadishu. The ICM contends that it is fighting against the warlords who have crippled the country for the past 20 years. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is deeply concerned that the escalation of conflict in Somalia will have disastrous consequences for civilians, who are already suffering from the effects of years of instability and deprivation, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. The ICM has continued to enter the interior of the country and media reports indicate fighting outside Baidoa could be characterized as the eruption of a civil war. The secretary-general expresses his grave concern about the continuous reports of the involvement of foreign forces in the current conflict, and he implores all involved to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, Dujarric told reporters.
