Over the last decade, the sanction regime often also targeted even Somali authorities because Somalia was under an arms embargo.
The embargo was lifted in December 2023 meaning that countries can continue to collaborate with Somali security agencies to block supplies of arms to al-Shabaab.
The UN Security Council is retaining a status quo of sanctions on al-Shabaab for two more months to provide the international community with adequate time to discuss the best response to the militant group.
The decision reached on Friday came as Somalia and its partners also discussed the formation of a new stabilisation mission to be deployed in the Horn of Africa country after January 1. The UN Security Council, which has imposed sanctions on al-Shabaab for the last decade, says will provide continuity and prevent a relapse of liberated areas into Shabaab hands.
The proposal was authored by the UK but it was endorsed by all the 15 members of the UN Security Council, the UN’s most powerful body, on Friday, at a sitting in New York.
Jess Jambert-Gray, UK Deputy Political Coordinator argued for continuity.
“In the context of these transitions, the text that we have tabled for adoption today provides stability for the functioning of al-Shabaab sanctions regime, maintaining the current provisions until the end of February,” she said.
“In the meantime, we look forward to consulting stakeholders in the coming weeks to consider the best shape of this vital regime, ensuring it supports our collective effort to degrade the threat posed by al-Shabaab.”
The decision means the sanction regime under Resolution 2713/23 will remain in place. And it means Somalia’s peers like Kenya and other foreign partners will have the legal right to intercept vessels transporting banned items to and from Somalia, including illegal arms imports and charcoal exports from Somalia, until February 28, 2025.
Over the last decade, the sanction regime often also targeted even Somali authorities because Somalia was under an arms embargo. The embargo was lifted in December 2023 meaning that countries can continue to collaborate with Somali security agencies to block supplies of arms to al-Shabaab.
But the arrangement could change if the Panel of Experts on Somalia finds new better ways. The Panel’s mandate was extended to March 15 next year during which they will table a new report. In October, the Panel had warned that al-Shabaab was still a threat to Somalia’s installations just as it retained capability to attack Somali partners in the region. The team also said ISIS was growing in Somalia, especially in Puntland region, which could complicate the response by the international community.
Both of these threats have punctuated discussions on the formation of the new mission to be known as the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) to take over from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
The AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) has already adopted the Concept of Operations (CONOPs) for AUSSOM but partners are still discussing troop contributions and funding for the new mission. Somalia has also insisted that troops from Ethiopia, which has been a contributor to ATMIS, should not be part of AUSSOM, a result of a territorial tiff between the two countries. In January, Ethiopia had signed an MoU with Somaliland to lease a port in exchange for recognition, fuelling tensions. Turkey has been mediating to defuse tensions. On Wednesday, Somalia and Ethiopia agreed to start talks for a commercial agreement for sea access.
And while they agreed to support each other’s security and stability, the dispatch from the Turkey-mediated talks said nothing about the future counter-terrorism cooperation.
ATMIS troops have come from Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Burundi and Uganda. They had all showed willingness to deploy under AUSSOM. But Egypt had become the first country to send weapons to Somalia in readiness for the new mission, having signed a defence cooperation agreement with Somalia earlier in the year.
