The United Nations special representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay has fully lauded for the idea of using sport as a tool of peace building in Somalia during a meeting with Somali NOC secretary General Duran Ahmed Farah in Mogadishu on Wednesday.
Somali Olympic committee Secretary General Duran Ahmed Farah told the media in Mogadishu that the high profile meeting with the top UNSOM official was very fruitful for Somalia as under Secretary-General for Somalia Nicholas Kay was very keen on the sporting influence in the reconciliation and peace building process in the lawless country where sport has in the past played a key role in reconciliation, public integration and peace process.
“During our meeting we gave the UN official fully-detailed information about the importance that the use of sports has the United Nations in terms of introducing peace into the country and he lauded and welcomed our idea, because himself knows that every difficult situation can be easily reachable through sport,” Somali NOC secretary General Duran Ahmed Farah told the media in Mogadishu after his meeting with the UN special representative for Somalia Mr. Nicholas Kay.
Accompanied by Somali NOC vice president Ibrahim Shamow, Secretary General Duran Ahmed Farah outlined the top UN official on the successive sporting activities in the country as sport is the sole element that can bring people together and make them forget the past strife amongst them.
“We demanded the UN official to help us regain sports facilities which are currently being used as military barracks such as Mogadishu sports village where the country’s national soccer facility (stadium Mogadishu) is located,” Secretary General Duran Ahmed Farah noted.
He said the UN official welcomed the importance of moving troops from the sports grounds which must be used for sports purposes, because they were built for sports, not for military.
“In my capacity as a top UN official for Somalia, I will work hard to persuade Somali government and African Union to withdraw troops from the facility as soon as possible and I am lauding for the idea of the inclusion of sports into our peace building programs in Somalia,” UN secretary General’s special representative for Somalia told the Somali National Olympic committee officials during Wednesday’s meeting in Mogadishu.
