A/HRC/18/48 Secretary-General for Political Affairs to Somalia, in which he made a commitment to establish the footprint of the United Nations in Mogadishu. He argued that, in the absence of the United Nations, which was the main stakeholder of international efforts in Somalia, AMISOM was compelled to perform functions, including political work, not related to its mandate. He elaborated on the importance of the presence of the United Nations in Mogadishu and argued that the security situation there was no worse than in Afghanistan, where the United Nations was deployed. 80. The independent expert informed the Force Commander that he had made the same point in many of his reports to the Human Rights Council. In his subsequent talks with members of civil society, the independent expert received the same message from them. Many argued that non-governmental organizations working on human rights in Mogadishu were often targeted by the insurgents (as much as the latter targeted the Government), but received no AMISOM protection. They felt that the presence of the United Nations in Mogadishu would make a difference. 81. During his latest visit to Mogadishu, however, the independent expert was pleased to learn that the presence of the United Nations there had increased significantly and preparations were going ahead to place more United Nations staff in Mogadishu. The independent expert considered this to be a very positive development. He was particularly pleased to learn that the new Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia had decided to take up residence in Mogadishu in the near future. This will give a much-needed boost to all others working for the transition of Somalia from conflict to peace. XII. Recommendations A. Transitional Federal Government 82. The recent withdrawal of the Al-Shabaab forces from Mogadishu should be seized upon by the Transitional Federal Government as an unique opportunity to demonstrate to the people of Somalia that not only have its efforts and those of the African Union and the international community borne fruit at last, but that the Government and the people of Somalia now have an opportunity to work together and move forward to the return of normality in Somalia. It is imperative that the Transitional Federal Government win over the whole-hearted support of the people so that it can stand up to the efforts of the insurgents to topple the Government through unconventional means, in which they would need the support of the people to succeed. 83. An equally important task should be to ensure that the terrible drought that has engulfed Somalia receives adequate attention both from the Transitional Federal Government and the international community. This is an opportunity for the Government to display its commitment to the welfare of the people and its leadership, and to draw international attention to the plight of the people and their needs at this critical hour. In this effort, the Government should consider involving the people, including elders, which is likely to contribute to peace and reconciliation as well. 84. The independent expert supports most of the recommendations made by participating States at the universal periodic review of Somalia,2 and recommends that the Government decide, through a process of broad consultations, on how to go about implementing them and develop its own road map in this regard. 2 16 A/HRC/18/6.