Assembly/AU/3 (X) Page 5 20. On this score, special mention must be made of the situation in Somalia. At its 104th Meeting held on 20 December 2007, the PSC indicated that the situation in Somalia constituted one of the most serious challenges to Peace and Security facing the Continent. The PSC therefore decided to meet before the expiry of the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to re-examine the situation and agree on how best to prepare the January Summit. That PSC Meeting took place on 18 January 2008. On that occasion, it was agreed to join the Report submitted by the Chairperson of the Commission and the Communiqué adopted by the PSC for submission to the Assembly, the objective being to ensure that the Assembly infuses fresh impetus into the peace efforts in Somalia. a) The Comoros 21. During the period under review, no progress was achieved in resolving the crisis arising from the refusal by the illegal authorities of Anjouan to organize fresh presidential elections in the Island under the required conditions of security and transparency, and more generally, to comply with the fundamental instruments governing the running of the Union. 22. The Ministerial Committee of the countries of the region met in Pretoria from 8 to 9 July 2007 under the chair of South Africa which coordinates the regional efforts to examine the situation. On that occasion, the Committee adopted a number of recommendations making provision for a two-phase approach: firstly, free, fair and transparent elections will be held in Anjouan; then the necessary steps will be taken to find lasting solutions to the inadequacies of current institutional arrangements. While the Union Government accepted these crisis exit proposals, the authorities of the Anjouan Island rejected them. At its 87th Meeting held in Addis Ababa on 13 August 2007, the PSC requested the Commission to work in close collaboration with countries of the region to come up with concrete proposals, considering every option, including individual and targeted sanctions to be imposed on the de facto authorities of Anjouan. 23. Subsequently, a meeting of high-ranking officials from countries of the region and the troop-contributing countries of the AU Electoral Assistance and Security Mission to the Comoros (MAES) was held in Addis Ababa on 4 September 2007. The meeting came up with recommendations which were considered by the Ministerial Committee of countries of the region in Pretoria on 18 September 2007. The Committee submitted proposals on how to end the crisis to the Union Government and the illegal authorities of Anjouan. Whereas the Union Government accepted these proposals, the illegal authorities of Anjouan rejected them. 24. The Ministerial Committee came up with recommendations for the PSC, providing not only for organization of fresh elections in Anjouan to pave the way for the search for solutions to the problem of power sharing between the Union and the autonomous Islands and that of governance, but also for individual and other sanctions to be imposed on all persons obstructing the reconciliation process in the Comoros. At its 95th Meeting held on 10 October 2007 in Addis Ababa, the PSC endorsed the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee. Generally, the Government of the Union of the Comoros and the Comorian people welcomed the PSC decision aimed at compelling the illegal authorities of Anjouan to accept the crisis settlement framework as defined by the African Union. For their part, the illegal