AU wants UN control Somali borders

Ethiopia: The African Union (AU), made up of 53 member states says it has demanded that the United Nations should control Somalia's maritime and air borders to prevent piracy and arms trafficking.

The fight against piracy and arms trafficking would hurt insurgent groups, which use those resources to fight against the Somali transition Government, said AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra.

The AU also repeated its request for an increase in troops for its peacekeeping mission in Somalia, from 8,000 to 20,000. The United Nations must assure that the troops have enough resources and are well paid, Lamamra said in a communiqué.

Previously, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon himself had admitted that the AU "is having difficulties guaranteeing the resources necessary to maintain its peacekeeping operations" in Somalia and the region of Darfur, in western Sudan. Addis Ababa, Prensa Latina