8215th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Somalia

Security Council extends assistance mission in Somalia until 31 March 2019, unanimously adopting resolution 2408 (2018), at 8215th meeting.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 00:08:13
• Production Date: 27 March 2018
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: MICHAEL KEATING
• Corporate Name: AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN SOMALIA – AMISOM; UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SOMALIA - UNSOM
• Subject Topical: COUNTER-TERRORISM; PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
• Geographic Subject: SOMALIA
• MAMS Id: 2118634
• Parent Id: 2117427

Description

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) until 31 March 2019, as previously set out in resolution 2158 (2014).

Unanimously adopting resolution 2408 (2018), the Council underscored the importance of the Mission’s support to the Somali Government‑led political process as well as the importance of its support to the federal Government of Somalia on preparations for the delivery of inclusive, credible and transparent elections.

Also by the terms of the text, the Council requested continued support for the Government’s efforts to implement the country’s National Strategy and Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in order to strengthen Somalia’s capacity to prevent and counter terrorism.

Strongly condemning recent attacks by the terrorist group Al‑Shabaab, including on 14 October 2017 and 23 February 2018, the Council expressed serious concern at the ongoing threat posed by the group, as well as the presence of affiliates linked to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da’esh) and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, and reiterated its determination to support efforts to reduce that threat.

Welcoming the resolution’s adoption, the representative of Somalia said while there may be nuanced differences in how the Council members assessed the current situation, they were united in recognizing the important role that the United Nations would continue to play in promoting peace and stability in his country. At the same time, he expressed deep concern that UNSOM senior officials had made erroneous statements on political issues, and was troubled by the negative impacts such statements generated in the Council and in his country. Accordingly, he urged Mission leadership to refrain from “sensationalizing” political trends.

The meeting began at 10:17 a.m. and ended at 10:25 a.m.