UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (UPI) -- There's a looming threat to the Somali population in the coastal city of Kismayo because of a deteriorating security situation, the U.N. Security Council said.
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Elliasson warned the Security Council last week of the threat to Somalia's political progress. He said the situation in the coastal city of Kismayo was "volatile" because of a declaration of a regional state.
The fledgling government in Somalia could face a volatile future given political rivalries developing along the coast, he said.
The U.N. Security Council issued a statement Thursday expressing concern.
"The members of the Security Council called on all parties to refrain from any action which may threaten peace and stability in the Juba regions and to engage with the federal government of Somalia in a constructive manner to achieve a peaceful resolution to the current crisis and to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation," the statement said.
Somalia formed a central government in Mogadishu last year for the first time since the 1990s. Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud told a May donors conference the country had a long road to recovery despite political gains.
