ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 24, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 487th meeting held on 20 February 2015, adopted the following decision on the situation in Somalia:
Council,
1. Takes note of the briefing provided by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia and Head of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on the current situation in Somalia. Council also takes note of the statements made by the representatives of Ethiopia, Chair of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the League of Arab States (LAS), as well as by the representatives of Chad, France, Nigeria, United Kingdom and United States of America, as members of the UN Security Council, and Italy, as Co-chair of the IGAD Partners Forum;
2. Recalls its previous communiqués and press statements on the situation in Somalia and, in this regard, welcomes the steps taken, with the support of partners, including the UN, the EU and bilateral partners, in the implementation of the mandate of AMISOM;
3. Welcomes the political progress in course in Somalia, including the on-going state formation processes, and the passing of the Electoral Act by the Parliament, as well as the parliamentary endorsement of Prime Minister Omar Sharmarker’s Cabinet of Ministers. Council applauds the recent inauguration of the new Cabinet, which that includes women appointed as Ministers, as a further step on the road towards the attainment of the Vision 2016 agenda. Council also notes the re-emergence of political parties, which are necessary in the strengthening of the political landscape of Somalia;
4. Calls upon the Somali leaders and people to continue on the path of political progress by ensuring that the state formation processes are concluded in a broad based, participatory and inclusive manner that will engender national reconciliation, and that the newly-passed electoral legislation is implemented towards the conduct of credible elections in 2016, including through the adoption of a nationally-acceptable and people-centered Constitution;
5. Applauds the security gains that continue to be recorded in Somalia. In this regard, Council welcomes the conclusion, at the end of 2014, of two joint military operations code-named EAGLE and INDIAN OCEAN by the Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM, which have resulted in the further recovery of key strategic locations from Al-Shabaab. Council underlines the need for the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), with the support of the international community, to promote and support the stabilization of those recovered areas so that the populations can enjoy basic social services, especially in education, healthcare, provision of water and security;
6. Urges the Somali political leadership to step up its efforts towards the integration of the various militia forces under a unified national command of the SNA, in order to ensure that Somalia consolidate and safeguard the gains made on the ground and facilitate reconstruction and peace-building as part of the exit strategy for AMISOM;
7. Pays tribute to the AMISOM military, police and civilian personnel of AMISOM for their courage and dedication, and, once again, commends the FGS, AMISOM troop (Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Uganda) and police (Nigeria and Uganda and the countries providing individual police officers) contributing countries for their continued commitment to the promotion of lasting peace, security, stability and reconciliation in Somalia;
8. Reiterates its appreciation to the UN, the IGAD, the EU and its Member States and bilateral partners, notably Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, for their invaluable contribution to the peace and reconciliation efforts in Somalia;
9. Further reiterates its commitment to the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Somalia and reaffirms AU’s full support to the FGS and its commitment to continue to assist the FGS in its stabilization and reconstruction efforts;
10. Requests Somalia’s bilateral partners, especially those hosting significant Somali populations, to ease the transfer of remittances for the Somali communities, while taking measures to eliminate terrorism-based financial networks;
11. Strongly condemns the terrorist attacks against unarmed and innocent civilians, including the attack that took place on 20 February 2015 against senior Government officials at the Central Hotel in Mogadishu. Council notes that those behind these attacks are desperate remnants of the Al-Shabaab seeking to create despair, despite the political and security progress being made in Somalia. Council condoles with the families of the deceased, as well as the people and Government of Somalia. Council wishes speedy recovery to all those wounded in those terrorist attacks;
12. Decides to undertake a field mission to Somalia at an appropriate time, to be determined by Council;
13. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
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