S/PV.9872 Security Council

I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China, for his service as President of the Council for the month of February. I am sure I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Fu Cong and his team for the great diplomatic skill with which they conducted the Council’s business last month. Adoption of the agenda

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2025/131, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2776 (2025). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements. Dame Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom): I welcome you, Madam, to the presidency. The unanimous adoption of resolution 2776 (2025) today sends a clear message, namely, that the Council is united in its determination to support Somalia’s efforts in the fight against Al-Shabaab. This resolution retains a powerful package of sanctions designed to further degrade Al-Shabaab, disrupt its finances, strengthen international collaboration and support Somalia in building its own capabilities. And it again demonstrates the Council’s commitment to continue working with Somalia to ensure that those measures are adjusted progressively and appropriately in response to the evolving security context. This was also the first Council resolution on this regime that we negotiated with Somalia as a fellow member of the Security Council. We welcome the constructive approach that all Council members took across the negotiations, which enabled us to arrive at this consensus outcome. And we look forward to continuing our close engagement with Somalia, with Council members and with the region across the many vital upcoming Council decisions on Somalia this year. Finally, the resolution we adopted today also recognizes the particular concern posed by flows of weapons from Yemen to Somalia. Al-Shabaab’s links to the Houthis

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the three African Member States on the Security Council — Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia — as well as my own country, Guyana (A3+). At the outset, the A3+ extends its congratulations to Denmark on its assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of March. We pledge our full support to your delegation, Madam, in the execution of that important function. Allow me to also express appreciation to the delegation of the United Kingdom for ably facilitating the negotiation of the resolution just adopted (resolution 2776 (2025)). The A3+ is grateful to all delegations for their constructive and valuable inputs throughout the process. As the Federal Government of Somalia continues its efforts to degrade the threat posed by Al-Shabaab to Somalia and the region, the support of the international community remains critical. We therefore welcome the unanimous support for resolution 2776 (2025). The A3+ supported resolution 2776 (2025), which renews the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime and extends the mandate of the Panel of Experts, because we continue to ascribe importance to those elements in the fight against Al-Shabaab. Nonetheless, our position is that the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime should be comprehensively assessed to determine its fitness to support the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia in combating the threat posed by Al-Shabaab, given the continuing evolution of the security situation in Somalia. While we regret that our proposal to that end was not fully taken onboard, the A3+ engaged constructively on the text. In that regard, we welcome the mandate given to the Secretary-General to conduct a technical assessment of the arms embargo targeting Al-Shabaab and to report to the Council on that by 1 November. We also welcome the Council’s intention to review the appropriateness of the measures comprising the sanctions regime with a view to taking appropriate action as necessary, once the Secretary-General’s report is received. We urge the Council’s continued support and attention to the priorities identified by the Federal Government of Somalia during that review. The A3+ underscores the importance of implementing measures to degrade the threat posed by Al-Shabaab. The Federal Government of Somalia continues to demonstrate its commitment to that end, and we acknowledge in particular the important role of Somalia’s Central Monitoring Department in weapons and ammunition management. In that context, we urge Member States to enhance their compliance with existing sanctions measures and support the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia aimed at curbing the illicit flow of weapons to Al-Shabaab. The A3+ acknowledges that degrading the threat requires a multifaceted approach, which includes disrupting the group’s finances and reducing the threat posed by improvised explosive devices. We commend the gains made by the Federal Government of Somalia in that regard and urge continued international collaboration and support to build on those gains. Allow me to conclude by underscoring the commitment of the A3+ to working with all Council members in the months ahead to examine the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime with a view to ensuring that it is effectively supporting the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia to combat the threat posed by Al-Shabaab. The United States welcomes the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts and the renewal of some arms embargo, travel ban and assets-freeze measures. The renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts provides critical oversight and the reporting necessary to inform the Al-Shabaab Sanctions Committee and the Council. We look forward to the swift appointment of the experts so they can begin their important work. The Red Sea smuggling routes connecting Somalia-based terrorist groups to those in Yemen place a premium on international cooperation. We are concerned by growing ties between Al-Shabaab and the Houthis in particular. We encourage dialogue between the Yemen and Al-Shabaab sanctions panels and countries in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to shed light on, and ultimately sever, the ties between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab. Regional dialogue is also needed to address piracy, weapons trafficking and the illicit activities that fuel terrorism. If fully implemented by Member States, the measures in this resolution will curb Al-Shabab’s and other non-State actors’ access to funds and weapons needed to carry out attacks and address the drivers of conflict in Somalia. They will also ensure that Somalia’s security and police institutions can receive the needed resources to combat terrorism and secure the people of Somalia. We urge our fellow Council members to support additional designations, including those of Al-Shabaab operatives. In addition to the operational significance, those designations demonstrate that the international community will promote accountability and end impunity for those who undermine peace and security in Somalia and the region. The United States will address the threat posed by Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups and will continue to work closely with the Government of Somalia, fellow Council members and all stakeholders to protect our shared interests.

): I would like to begin by extending our gratitude to the Chinese delegation for its skillful presidency of the Security Council during the very tense month of February, and we wish the delegation of Denmark every success in March. The Russian Federation supported the resolution on sanctions against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group prepared by the United Kingdom (resolution 2776 (2025)). We believe that it is justified to include in the text of the resolution provisions aimed at strengthening financial controls in Somalia. Such measures are necessary to curb Al-Shabaab’s resource supply and ability to conduct illegal economic activities. We are satisfied that the resolution includes elements that meet the aspirations of the Somali side with regard to the forthcoming revision of the sanctions regime that has been in effect since January 1992, which is being discussed today. We are convinced that such a step is long overdue. In that regard, we have consistently supported the policy of the African troika to decrease the period of extension of the inspection regime and the mandate of the relevant Panel of Experts in order to be able to discuss a possible revision of the arms embargo and other parameters as early as this year. We wish to assure our Somali friends that they can count on our support in addressing those issues in December. We welcome the tightening of access to weapons by non-State actors, which is enshrined in the resolution thanks to the efforts of the African troika. In December 2023, we had already noted the flawed wording of resolution 2713 (2023) on an We would like to focus on the fact that the preparation of the document did not take into account our proposal to focus the parameters of the regime exclusively on countering Al-Shabaab, without introducing elements alien into it. We are convinced that the Yemeni issue should be considered separately. All opportunities for doing so are available within the framework of the regime established in accordance with the resolution 2140 (2014). We do not see convincing evidence about the hypothesis of an alleged systematic flow of weapons between Yemen and Somalia in the materials submitted by the relevant Panel of Experts. Other delegations share those concerns. That strongly suggests that the appearance of that paragraph has nothing to do with assistance to Somalia. On the contrary, we are talking about the desire of an individual member of the Security Council to politicize this issue for many years to come, thereby implementing its interests in the adjacent region through a resolution on countering Al-Shabaab via the hands of the informal curators of the dossier. Such a policy towards Somalia is simply irresponsible. We would also like to note the significant contribution of African delegations and of Guyana in the preparation of the document. We are convinced that the Council should listen more carefully to the position of African States, especially when determining the parameters of the sanctions regimes applied against terrorists operating on their territory.

First of all, Madam President, I congratulate you on your presidency in the month of March and thank the United Kingdom for its work, which made it possible to achieve the Council’s unanimous renewal of the sanctions regime against Al-Shabaab. The adoption of resolution2776 (2025) attests to the support for the Government of Somalia’s efforts and those of its bilateral and multilateral partners in combating Al-Shabaab, which is a threat to peace and security not just in Somalia but also an entire region already weakened by various crises and conflicts. France welcomes the renewal of the sanctions regime for one year from the date of the adoption of resolution 2762 (2024), which provided for a brief technical rollover. France stands ready to continue to work with all members of the Council to ensure the full effectiveness of this regime, in support of the efforts of the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia to combat Al-Shabaab. France remains concerned about the flow of arms and ammunition from Yemen to Somalia, in violation of the arms embargo on Al-Shabaab. It is essential to prevent Al-Shabaab from building and exploiting relationships with sanctioned groups in the region, including the Houthis.

I extend to you, Madam President, my warmest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council following China’s sterling stint last month. Please rest assured of our delegation’s full support and cooperation. Pakistan voted in favour of resolution 2776 (2025). We greatly appreciate the efforts undertaken by the United Kingdom to garner consensus on the resolution, thereby facilitating its unanimous adoption. Pakistan supports Somalia’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Al-Shabaab continues to pose a significant threat to peace and security in Somalia and the region. The presence of affiliate terrorist elements linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levan/Da’esh is equally worrisome. Notwithstanding I would like to make the following three points. First, we believe that the AU’s sustained engagement with Somalia augurs well for peace and stability in the region. The new AU support and stabilization mission in Somalia needs sustainable and predictable financial support for its operations to protect gains made against Al-Shabaab. Secondly, fighting the scourge of terrorism will require a united regional and global effort. Pakistan stands ready to share its counter-terrorism experience and expertise with our African partners and to provide capacity-building in that regard. Lastly, Al-Shabab’s ability to radicalize, recruit, raise funds via extortion and piracy and procure weapons must be disrupted. Continued humanitarian assistance and support for the economic development of Somalia is vital to addressing the root causes of terrorism. Let me conclude by recalling that Pakistan enjoys close and fraternal ties with Somalia and will continue to support our brethren both as a member of the Security Council and bilaterally.