Worse Than Darfur?

Because now the situation is too chaotic to know for sure?
Yes. It's not too chaotic—but chaotic, yes. [Laughs]

Does the TFG hand people suspected of being terrorists over to the United States or to other countries for trial or interrogation?
No, no, no. Not now. I mean definitely we have in the past. The Somali government is obliged, with regard to terrorism, to be in line with international laws.

Some people have said that much of the conflict in Somalia is a proxy war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Is that the case?
We have Eritrea supporting the opposition groups. We have Ethiopian troops supporting the Somali transitional government. The relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea is definitely not good. But I cannot say it is a proxy [war]. I don't think what is happening in Somalia is the [importing of] this problem. There are so many other factors.

Under your predecessor, Ali Mohammed Gedi, the TFG arrested the head of the United Nations World Food Program in Somalia. At the time there was a suspicion that the U.N. chief was arrested because the World Food Program was distributing food in some areas that supported the opposition.
I'm coming from the humanitarian field. And definitely what we believe is that when it comes to the humanitarian operations, the vulnerable people are vulnerable, regardless of their political beliefs, regardless of their religion, regardless of the color, regardless of the clan they belong to. As a humanitarian, I need to support both sides.

Piracy has been a continuing problem and one that has grown worse last year. What needs to be done about it?
Piracy is very much a threat to humanitarian operations. It is the major factor making the crisis worse. Each ransom paid for a ship [seized] by pirates makes the situation worse. So we urge the whole international community to look at this. It needs to be addressed at the international level, [including] adequate support to the Somali government right now to fight piracy.

I understand that you would like the United Nations to send peacekeepers to Somalia. What did they say needs to be done before they will send peacekeepers?
They sent an assessment team already. I think what they identified was that there is a need for U.N. peacekeeping troops.