Somalia peacekeeper mandate extended

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MOGADISHU, Somalia, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council has extended the mandate of the African Union international peacekeeping force in Somalia until next week.

The Security Council adopted a resolution Wednesday, saying in the document it was meeting two days after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on New York because it recognized "the need for a short extension of the mandate of the African Union Mission to Somalia," the organization said Friday in a release.

The mandate was to have expired Oct. 31. Now it will expire next Wednesday.

The peacekeeping force has been providing support to the Somali government since January 2007.

In its unanimously adopted resolution, the council said it determined the situation in Somalia remained a threat to peace and security in the region.

After decades of factional fighting and lawlessness, Somalia has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process, including a series of steps in recent months that helped to bring an end to the country's nine-year political transition period, such as the adoption of a provisional constitution, the establishment of a new Parliament and the appointments of a new president and prime minister.

The African Union has told the Security Council that it, in conjunction with the United Nations, intends to conduct an assessment of AMISOM and how it can best contribute to the stabilization of Somalia.