September 14, 2010 | Posted by admin

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept. 14 (UPI) — The transitional government in Somalia has less than a year to come together to form a united front, the United Nations warned.

Somalia hasn’t had a functioning government in years as the country lingers under a violent insurgency led by al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabaab.

Augustine Mahiga, the U.N. special envoy to Somalia, joined representatives from the African Union in reminding Somalia that their transition phase ends in August.

“The end of the transition period will give Somalis the opportunity to determine a new political dispensation but there is much work to be done before then,” the envoys warned in a U.N. statement. “There is no time to waste.”

The representatives warned during their conference in Nairobi that lingering divisions in the transitional authority were vulnerable to insurgents who were trying to wrestle control from Western-backed leaders.

“The leaders and politicians need to demonstrate their unity of purpose to show they are working together to restore peace to Somalia,” the envoys said in their statement.

Al-Shabaab last month declared war on the AU peacekeeping force in the area. Several peacekeepers and Somali lawmakers were among the 230 people killed in insurgent attacks in the past few weeks.

The Somali rebel group declared its loyalty to Osama bin Laden in February.

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