Assembly/AU/Decl.3(X) Page 1 DECLARATION ON THE SITUATION IN SOMALIA We, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 31 January to 2 February 2008, in the 10th Ordinary Session of our Assembly: Having reviewed the situation in Somalia and the ongoing efforts aimed at promoting lasting peace, security and reconciliation in that country, in the light of the report submitted by the Chairperson of the Commission to the 105th meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) [PSC/PR/2(CV)], held on 18 January 2008, and the communiqué adopted by the PSC on that occasion [PSC/PR/Comm(CV)], Stressing that the situation in Somalia represents one of the most serious peace and security challenges facing the Continent, Welcoming the steps taken within Somalia, including the convening of the National Reconciliation Congress (NRC), in July – August 2007, the recent appointment of a new Prime Minister, Mr. Nur Hassan Hussein, and subsequent formation of a new government, as well as the efforts made by the AU, notably through the deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Reiterating the conviction expressed by the PSC that, despite the daunting challenges confronting the peace and reconciliation process, the opportunity that arose in December 2006, when the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) regained control of Mogadishu and other parts of the country, in order to find a lasting solution to the crisis in Somalia still exists, Stressing the need for both the Somali stakeholders and the international community as a whole to seize this opportunity to decisively address the conflict in Somalia and to take all steps required to this end, Hereby: 1. FULLY ENDORSE all the steps identified in the PSC Communiqué referred to above; 2. DEMAND that all parties in Somalia reject violence, uphold the principles and spirit enshrined in the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) and work towards genuine national reconciliation within that framework; 3. ENCOURAGE the TFG to urgently devise concrete ways to fully implement the outcome of the NRC, and adopt a broader inclusive approach to reach out to all Somali stakeholders who reject violence, both within and outside Somalia, in line with the TFC, and WELCOME the commitment of the newly appointed Prime Minister to an all-inclusive reconciliation;