S/PV.9271 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Somalia to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. At this meeting, the Council will hear a briefing by Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane, Permanent Representative of Japan, in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Al-Shabaab. I now give the floor to Ambassador Ishikane. Mr. Ishikane: As mandated by paragraph 11 (g) of resolution 1844 (2008), I have the honour to brief the Security Council in my capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 751 (1992), concerning Al-Shabaab, covering the period from 20 October 2022 to 27 February 2023. Some of the Committee activities I will mention were chaired by my predecessor, Ambassador Fergal Mythen of Ireland. At the outset, I would like to recall that by its resolution 2662 (2022) of 17 November 2022, the Security Council further eased the partially lifted arms embargo to support the development of Somalia’s security and police institutions, provided recommendations to reduce the size of existing Somali charcoal stockpiles and renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts. The resolution also modified the name of the Committee I now chair, thereby highlighting the focus of the sanctions regime on Al-Shabaab. Since the last briefing to the Council, the Committee has met twice in informal consultations. On 29 November 2022, the Committee met jointly with the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014). The two Committees heard briefings by the Panel of Experts on Somalia and the Panel of Experts on Yemen, respectively, on issues related to the smuggling of weapons between Somalia and Yemen. On 17 February, the Committee met to receive a presentation from the reconstituted Panel of Experts on Somalia on its work programme for 2023, under resolution 2662 (2022). The Panel’s Coordinator updated Committee members on recent developments in Somalia relevant to the Panel’s mandate. He informed the members that, in line with its mandate, the Panel would continue to pursue investigations into Al-Shabaab finances, including seaport operations in Somalia that may generate revenue for Al-Shabaab, as well as potential violations of the arms embargo and the charcoal ban. He further referred to the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia in support of benchmarks outlined in the report of the Secretary- General (S/2023/109) aimed at guiding the Council in its further review of the arms embargo. In follow-up to the recommendations contained in the Panel’s 2022 final report (S/2022/754), submitted under resolution 2607 (2021), the Committee sent letters to various Member States, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the European Union. The Committee also sent a note verbale to all Member States. I will report on the statistics with regard to the arms embargo and improvised explosive device exemption notifications in my next briefing to the Council. Lastly, the Committee has recently received two letters from Somalia in relation to charcoal — the first pertained to the charcoal that was onboard the vessel MV Fox and the second pertained to the existing charcoal stockpiles.

I thank Ambassador Ishikane for his briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.

At the outset, I acknowledge the presence of the Permanent Representative of Japan, the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 751 (1992), concerning Al-Shabaab, and thank him for his briefing. In that regard, I would like to raise following points. Following the benchmarking exercise of the arms embargo, the Somali Government formally communicated its position on the United Nations arms embargo to Council members. The Secretary-General’s identified benchmarks seem to be neither measurable nor realistic. The Federal Government of Somalia goes on record again to request the full lifting of the arms embargo. There appears to be a growing disconnect between the sanction’s regime and the evolving situation on the ground, especially in our fight against the terrorist group Khawarij. In the inception, the Council’s intention was to help the Somali Government to curb the arms flow and consolidate security. In reality, however, the arms embargo, on one side, has restricted The Federal Government of Somalia’s acquisition of arms, and, on the other side, has for decades allowed certain exemptions for weapons to go to Somali forces that fall outside the national structure, and thus exacerbated arms fragmentation in our country as well as the likelihood of intercommunal conflict in Somalia. Today, it has also increasingly become an obstacle that hampers our Government’s efforts to counter the evolving threat of Al-Shabaab as well as the implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan. The sanctions should target those who pose a threat to peace and security in Somalia while supporting and enabling the Government’s robust security policies. Specifically, it is essential to tailor sanctions to President Hassan Sheikh’s strategy to combat the terrorist group — in conjunction with the regional and international partnership  — which is to degrade the Khawarij militarily, deprive it of resources and counter its violent extremism ideology. Charcoal production in Somalia is not only a source a revenue for the Khawarij but an important source of deforestation, environmental degradation and long-term health risks for the communities. In this respect, the Federal Government of Somalia has undertaken specific measures to address the charcoal stockpiles in Kismayo in line with Security Council resolution 2662 (2022). We are cognizant that addressing domestic charcoal production requires a multidimensional approach that deals with the root causes such as poverty and unemployment. Therefore, we are exerting all efforts to address the root causes and strive to expand poverty alleviation and alternative livelihoods, which are prerequisites for any sustainable reforestation strategy. On the MV Fox case, we welcome the Omani authorities’ seizure of the Somali charcoal from the vessel in Salalah port in line with paragraphs 22 and 23 of resolution 2036 (2012). However, we remain concerned with the reported sale by the Omani authorities of the confiscated Somali charcoal onboard. The ultimate distribution of the proceeds of such a resale to the Somali Government will ensure the return of said proceeds to its original owner, the Somali people, in a manner consistent with the objectives of the relevant Security Council resolutions. I take this opportunity to urge all States Members of the United Nations to implement relevant Security Council resolutions on countering the financing of terrorism, including measures to help curb terrorists’ ability to gain access to funds, weapons and other support it needs to carry out attacks. We look forward to working with Council members on the designations of individuals, groups and their supporters under the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992). It is critical to demonstrate accountability and end impunity for those who undermine peace and security in Somalia. In conclusion, we all agree that Somali security forces should have better military enablers and logistical support. The long-standing sanctions against the Federal Government of Somalia are not conducive to the Somali security forces’ access to the military equipment necessary to carry out the mandate of protecting the population and the territorial integrity of the country. It appears that there is a tendency for the Security Council to impose sanctions without much consideration for the unintended consequences of such imposition. For our part, we are committed to assuming full security responsibility for the country from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia by 2024, and we will collaborate closely with Council members on the full lifting of the arms embargo on Federal Government of Somalia, and to facilitate peace for our country and our region.