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96 | Mission ReviewsUN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS)Authorization Date 28 March 1995(UNSC Report S/1995/23)Start Date 15 April 1995SRSGAugustine P. Mahiga (Tanzania)Budget$17.0 million(1 January 2010-31 December 2010)Strength as of International Civilian: 37early 2010 Local Civilian: 6For detailed mission information see p. 211the Secretary-General instructed his representativeto relocate to Nairobi, establishing a small officedesigned to monitor political developments andmaintain communication with relevant actors insideSomalia. Over the years UNPOS’ role has expandedand the office was involved in the facilitation of anumber of peace processes, including the formationof the Transitional National Government in2000, and the 2002-2004 IGAD 1 led process thatestablished the Transitional Federal Charter and thecurrent Transitional Federal Government (TFG).While the country has been marred by conflictfor the past two decades, the last three years havebeen particularly brutal. Worried by the rise of agrass-roots movement called the Union of IslamicCourts, Ethiopia invaded southern Somalia in late2006 to protect its interests and install the TFG inMogadishu. The occupation, which was tacitly supportedby the US and lasted until early 2009, fueledthe current Islamic insurgency.In February 2007 the UN Security Councilauthorized the deployment of an African Unionpeacekeeping mission to Somalia (AMISOM) –with a mandate to support political reconciliation,protect the Transitional Federal Institutions and,somewhat controversially, facilitate the deliveryof humanitarian assistance. The composition ofAMISOM was to grow to a total of 8,000 troops,but its capacity increased slowly so that as of July2010, it consists of just over 6,200 troops fromUganda and Burundi.The limited capacity of the AMISOM mission,coupled with the sharp deterioration of security andhumanitarian conditions, led to calls in 2008 for thedeployment of a large UN peacekeeping mission totake over.In late December 2008, isolated andunpopular, Somalia’s President Abdullahi Youssufresigned, paving the way for the election – by Parliamentariansconvening in Djibouti – of SheikhSharif Sheikh Ahmed to the presidency. SheikhSharif, a moderate Islamist who had been headof the Union of Islamic Courts, brought somelegitimacy to the position and was expected tobring members of the opposition into the politicalfold. The election in January 2009 coincidedwith the withdrawal of the last Ethiopian troopsfrom Somalia.The early optimism surrounding the arrivalof the new Somali leadership faded away over thecourse of 2009 as political talks faltered. The mainIslamist group, Al Shabaab, vowed to fight on.Attacks against the government and AMISOMtroops – including suicide bombings which killedTFG ministers and the AMISOM deputy forcecommander – intensified. Furthermore, insurgentgroups were not united and confronted each otheras they jockeyed for greater territorial and economiccontrol. In June 2009, the TFG declared astate of emergency. Fearing that the governmentwould surrender its position and collapse, theUS sent arms and ammunition to support TFGsecurity forces.In recent years the international profile ofthe Somali conflict has increased, but attentionhas mainly focused on the issue of piracy offSomalia’s coast. Taking advantage of the prevailinglawlessness, Somali pirates have considerablyincreased the number of attacks and the size oftheir ransoms.UNPOS’ raison d’être remains the promotionof peace and stability in Somalia – an arduous taskmade even more difficult by the loaded history ofthe UN and foreign interventions in the country.In the summer of 2008, UNPOS achieved a breakthroughby convening a High Level Committeebetween TFG representatives and the leaders of thearmed opposition – calling themselves the Alliancefor the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS). The talksled to a temporary ceasefire and the withdrawalof Ethiopian troops. The resulting three-pageagreement paved the way for a process of politicalreconciliation – the Djibouti Process – which is stillongoing today.UNPOS views the Djibouti process as astructured mechanism to address political grievances