S/2020/466 Security Council

In accordance with the procedure agreed upon by the members of the Security Council in the light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, and as set out in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to all members of the Council (S/2020/253), I would like to draw your attention to the following issue: The members of the Council discussed the draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland regarding the extension of the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The draft resolution has been put in blue (S/2020/445, see enclosure). In my capacity as President of the Security Council, I hereby put the above- mentioned draft resolution to a vote. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period for the draft resolution will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 28 May 2020. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period will expire at 10 a.m. on Friday, 29 May 2020. Please submit your vote (in favour, against or abstention) on that draft resolution and possible explanation of vote by sending the Director of the Security Council Affairs Division of the Secretariat (egian@un.org) a letter signed by the Permanent Representative or Chargé d’affaires a.i. within the non-extendable 24-hour voting period set out above. It is my intention to circulate a letter listing the outcome of the vote within three hours of the conclusion of the 24-hour voting period. I also intend to convene a video-teleconference of the Security Council to announce the outcome of the vote shortly after the conclusion of the voting period, on the afternoon of Friday, 29 May 2020.

Allow me to begin by commending the Permanent Representative of Estonia, Mr. Sven Jürgenson, for his leadership as the President of the Council for this month of May 2020. It is with great sorrow that I begin my remarks here today with grave news. On 27 May, seven Somali health workers and one civilian were abducted from a non-governmental organization-run health clinic in Gololey village, Balcad distric, Middle Shabelle region, leading to their brutal death. The federal Government condemns these heinous actions and has launched an investigation to bring justice to the families. We are sending deep condolences to the loved ones, left behind, of these brave men. I welcome the adoption of resolution 2520 (2020), on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) mandate-renewal resolution. I would also like to offer my thanks, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Somalia, to the troop- and police- contributing countries for their unwavering support. We reiterate our commitment to working closely alongside them and extend our gratitude to them for all they have done in service of sustained peace in Somalia. We convene here on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, and thus I hope to say a few words in honour of the more than 1 million men and women who have served as United Nations peacekeepers and the more than 3,900 who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. We express deep gratitude to all those who deliver on their peace and security mandates across the world. We would also take this opportunity to highlight women in peacekeeping, who, while still, unfortunately, representing only 6 per cent of uniformed military personnel, allow missions greater access to communities, work tirelessly in service of human rights and bring an extra layer of insight to further benefit all missions. Our security sector continues to progress and improve. However, Al-Shabaab remains a threat to our national security. We have been targeting them with offensive operations, as well as continuing efforts to reduce their funding and, consequently, their reach and impact. Federal member states have been experiencing much success, especially as it pertains to free and fair elections. The Federal Government of Somalia has spent extensive political capital in aiding the federal member states of Galmudug and South-West to hold free, fair and credible elections. While we are grateful for the aid of the troop-contributing countries in helping to maintain the security of Somalia, we reiterate that they must implement their mandate without interfering in domestic affairs such as elections. International and humanitarian law must be upheld by all the troop-contributing countries, as it pertains to respecting the autonomy and sovereignty of the Somali people and the Somali State. This is especially relevant since the Federal Government of Somalia remains committed to holding one-person one-vote elections in 2020/2021. We have experienced many challenges in recent months, exacerbated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Somalia has been grappling with cyclic climate emergencies as the country has oscillated between floods and droughts virtually every season. This has also been made worse by COVID-19 and Somalia’s weak health infrastructure. Limited resources have curtailed our efforts to contain the pandemic, which is threatening to derail our reform efforts. COVID-19 poses a serious security challenge in a context that is already marked by fragility. In Somalia, the training of Somali security forces by our international partners has been suspended to stall the spread of the disease. The global shutdown has seen a ban on both international and local flights, the imposition of a partial curfew and the waiving of taxes on essential food and non-food items, as well as other measures. While food prices have leaped, remittances from the Somali diaspora have significantly decreased, and trading activities have declined considerably. All these factors have caused a reduction of domestic revenue. Still, Somalia is committed to taking over security responsibilities from AMISOM. In recent months, through a Somali-led operation, we managed to liberate more areas in the Lower Shabelle region, including Janaale, a strategic town that was providing a safe hideout from which Al-Shabaab launched attacks against other parts of the country, including the capital city, Mogadishu. Indeed, it is as a result of these liberation efforts that the Government has been able to prevent major terror attacks in the city during this reporting period. The latest operations are in line with the longer-term Somali transition plan, which is meant to hand over the responsibility to protect Somali citizens from AMISOM to the Somali national armed forces. The Somali national armed forces are effectively holding areas previously liberated. In order for the Somali national armed forces to be able to be fully prepared to take over security responsibilities from AMISOM, we request from our international partners a sustainable commitment in training, equipping and adequate and predictable funding to Somali security apparatuses. The arms embargo is also greatly hindering the capabilities of the Somali security apparatus to be able to effectively eradicate terrorist groups from our country. To conclude, I would like to thank the Council for its continued support and commitment to Somalia. I would like to once again thank AMISOM and all troop- and police-contributing countries for their work. We hope that AMISOM’s new mandate will be the culmination of efforts to bring sustainable peace and stability to the Federal Republic of Somalia.