Abu Dhabi (Etihad)
The UAE affirmed its support for efforts aimed at strengthening the work of security institutions in Somalia and enabling them to confront the terrorist Al-Shabab movement and respond to other challenges, as well as its common commitment to achieving peace.
In her summit statement during the UN Security Council session on Somalia, the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, Lana Nusseibeh, welcomed the council’s unanimous adoption of a resolution on the reconfiguration of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to become the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). », while maintaining its work in providing security support to Somalia.
She stressed that this decision, which came as a result of intense discussions between the Government of Somalia, the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union, reflects a broad consensus on the need to reconfigure AMISOM to focus on supporting and enabling the security transition in Somalia.
Her Excellency Lana Nusseibeh commended the Quartet for their unwavering commitment and participation in the process of reconfiguring the African Union Mission (AMISOM), as well as the efforts of the United Kingdom and all members of the Security Council to put forward and adopt the resolution.
She noted the many security challenges facing Somalia, most notably the continued attacks of the terrorist “Al-Shabab” movement, which also poses a cross-border threat to the region as a whole.
She said: “Today’s resolution refers to the main Security Council resolutions related to combating terrorism, including Resolution 1373, and we would like, in this context, to stress the obligations of Member States to prevent and combat the activities of Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups wherever they are found, in compliance with those resolutions. These obligations apply even if the groups are not included in the sanctions regime for ISIS and Al-Qaeda.”
Her Excellency Lana Nusseibeh affirmed the UAE’s support for efforts to enhance the capabilities of security institutions in Somalia to confront the terrorist “Al-Shabab” movement and address other challenges, expressing her hope that by adopting this mandate, the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia will be able to provide the necessary support to Somalia to confront security threats. better and achieve stability in accordance with the needs and aspirations of its people.
At the conclusion of the statement, His Excellency Lana Nusseibeh expressed the UAE’s appreciation for the efforts and sacrifices of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which, along with its supporting cadres over the past 15 years, contributed to making Somalia more secure and stable, stressing the UAE’s joint commitment to achieving peace in Somalia.
Yesterday, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to form a new African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, “Atmis”, to replace the “AMISOM” force, which includes 20,000 military, police and civilians. AMISOM’s mandate expired yesterday, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommended earlier this month extending it until December 31, with the current number of 19,626 military, police and civilians.
According to the voted decision, the Atmis reduction plan will be implemented in 4 phases until the departure of all employees at the end of 2024.
In a first stage, 2,000 soldiers will be reduced by December 31, 2022, and then successive reductions will be conducted at the end of each stage in March 2023, September 2023, June 2024 and December 2024, according to the text of the resolution.
Somalia, especially the capital Mogadishu, has witnessed multiple attacks in recent weeks, including two attacks that took place last week in the center of the country, which were claimed by the terrorist “Al-Shabaab” movement, killing at least 48 people.
