UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council has been called into emergency session because of
the upsurge of fighting in Somalia.
The panel of 15 was briefed Tuesday by Francois Lonseny Fall, the special representative for Somalia of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The secretary-general earlier in the day telephoned the prime minister of Ethiopia and the president of Kenya, urging a "cessation of hostilities in Somalia."
Fall, who recently visited the region, said it has been impossible to reconcile pre-conditions between Somalia's Transition Federal Government and the Union of Islamic Courts.
He urged council members to call on both sides "to halt the fighting immediately and not to take further provocative actions."
Fall said humanitarian agencies had received reports from young men "fleeing (Somalia's traditional capital of) Mogadishu that children are being forcibly recruited into fighting forces."
Said the special representative, "The outbreak of fighting has severely undermined the provision of relief assistance to 2-million conflict- and flood affected people in south central Somalia."
All U.N. and non-governmental organization international staff have been evacuated, including the U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team which was deployed in response to the recent Flood emergency.
Fall said "security and access permitting, U.N. agencies and partner NGOs will attempt to build on the ongoing flood response to deliver assistance to new internally displaced persons and conflict affected populations."
He said displacements have been limited to moving within their own districts, the displaced seeking the protection of their own clans.
