Letters to Somalia Covered Possible Adjustment of Arms Embargo

[Deeq A.]

The Security Council entity overseeing sanctions on Somalia sent two letters covering issues concerning possible adjustment of the arms embargo on that country, and measures to counter the funding of Al-Shabaab, its Chair said today, briefing on the subsidiary body’s work between 15 June and 20 October.

Geraldine Byrne Nason (Ireland), Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia, added that the letters also covered the updating of the sanctions list and combating violations – including sexual and gender‑based violence – of international humanitarian law and human rights by various actors.

The Chair said the communications were part of the Committee’s follow‑up to the six recommendations contained in the midterm update by the Panel of Experts on Somalia.  In that connection, she added, the Committee agreed to a Chair’s proposal to invite Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary‑General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, to deliver a briefing at a future date.

She went on to report that the Committee held back‑to‑back informal consultations on 1 October 2021, recalling that during the first, the Panel of Experts briefed members on its final report (document S/2021/849). Eight of the 16 recommendations contained in the Panel’s report were addressed to the Council, she said, adding that the remaining 8 are under consideration by the Committee.  During the discussion, Committee members asked about various aspects of the Panel’s reporting, with its members providing clarifications.

In the second meeting, she continued, the Committee heard a briefing by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on the report of the Emergency Relief Coordinator concerning the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia and any impediments thereof (document S/2021/847).  Committee members expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and its partners and support for continuing the humanitarian carve‑out to the Security Council’s asset‑freeze measures.

She said that since her last briefing, the Committee received the Expert Panel’s first thematic report, focusing on the management of weapons and ammunition management in Somalia.  It also received a letter from Mogadishu concerning air strikes and shelling conducted inside the country, and another from a Member State regarding the seizure of a shipment of potassium nitrate destined for Somalia, she reported.  The Committee has written to the reporting State and the shipment’s reported State of origin seeking additional information, she said, adding that the latter has replied.

The Committee received a proposal from the Secretariat regarding the nomination of a sixth expert to serve on the Panel, which remains under consideration, she said.

The meeting began at 3:10 p.m. and ended at 3:17 p.m.

Source: United Nations

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