UN Security Council declines to lift sanctions imposed on Somalia

The country has been in a state of war for nearly three decades [MOHAMED DAHIR/AFP/Getty Images]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia will have to wait a little longer before a number of security-related sanctions are lifted, following Monday's decision by the United Nations Security Council [UNSC], which declined to lift the sanctions.

For months, Somalia has been urging the UNSC to enable her to take charge of its own security functions, but the global body is not yet convinced by the development from Mogadishu following months of political upheavals.

Under Resolution 2607/2021, the UNSC extended sanction regime 751 on Somalia, which has been in place for nearly 30 years, and have been amended by subsequent resolutions.

The latest development means the UN Security Council will have to continue controlling Somalia's arms purchases for the next year. This is aimed at controlling the smuggling of weapons to the Horn of Africa nation.

Kenya, which is a non-permanent member of UNSC, was among the 13 [of the 15-member Council] that endorsed the resolution, with China and Russia abstaining from the vote. President Uhuru Kenyatta is the Chairperson of the UNSC.

“By seeking and voting for these changes, Kenya expresses her continuing support of efforts to degrade the capacity of al-Shabaab to undertake its dangerous activities in the region that include terror attacks, recruitment and radicalization into terrorism, and exploitation of Somali’s financial system to generate illegal revenue for terrorism financing,” said a statement explaining Nairobi’s stand.

The resolution was drafted by the UK and promised to support Somalia’s rebuilding project, including equipping of security forces and curtailing sources of funds and weapons for militant group al-Shabaab.

UN said the resolution expands protection to ‘maritime awareness’, tighter controls on financial transactions as well as illicit practices like charcoal selling and sale of materials used to make homemade explosive devices.

Before voting on sanctions, Somalia had been calling for an end to arms purchases as one way of allowing its military to reequip. Somalia has also opposed plans to extend the stay of the African Union Mission in Somalia [Amisom] or turn it into a hybrid Mission that will still include having troops and technical experts in the country.

Extending sanctions and changing the nature of Amisom are among the key decisions the Council is set to make before the end of the year.

In extending sanctions, the Council said Somalia’s state rebuilding had been hijacked by al-Shabaab, including infiltration in local institutions. It says the group must be targeted beyond the land as they have also exploited “maritime flows” and trafficked in licit and illicit goods that may finance terrorist activities in Somalia.

Somalia has been battling against Al-Shabaab militants for the last 14 years and there have been calls to have the peacekeeping mission troops leave the country. The UN is, however, convinced that the Horn of Africa nation is not capable of taking over security responsibilities.

GAROWE ONLINE