Murder of Somali activist Abdulkadir Yahya Ali undermines peace prospects, says UN

The United Nations yesterday condemned "the brutal assassination" of Somali peace activist Abdulkadir Yahya Ali, warning that such acts undermined prospects for ending turmoil in the war-torn Horn of Africa country.

"Mr. Yahya had devoted many years to foster peace and reconciliation in his country and was widely respected by his countrymen and by many in the international community," Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a statement issued by his spokesman, calling the attack a brutal murder. "This attack on a helpless lover of peace is of concern to all well-meaning people who have known Abdulkadir Yahya," the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) said in a statement issued on behalf of Annan's Special Representative for the country, Francois Lonseny Fall.