Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at UNSC briefing on Somalia
Mr.President,
We thank Acting Special Representative James Swan, and Head of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), Mohammed Souef, for their briefings. We welcome the Permanent Representative of Somalia, Ambassador Osman, to this meeting. We would like to congratulate him and the Somali delegation on being elected member of the Security Council for 2025-2026 term.
We are closely following the development of the situation in the Federal Republic of Somalia, a country that is our friend. We are concerned that the security situation there continues to be characterized by a high level of terrorist threat, deep territorial and clan fragmentation of society and an extremely acute humanitarian situation.
We commend and support Mogadishu's efforts to stabilize the internal political situation. We note the revitalization of the work of the National Consultative Council, thanks to which important agreements have been reached between the federal leadership and the federal states on the implementation of key national priorities.
This includes the preparation of a plan to transfer responsibility for security in the country from ATMIS to the Somali National Army, the formation of an independent drafting commission for elaboration of federal constitution, the improvement of the electoral system and the adoption of an electoral timetable. A landmark event in terms of achieving state-building goals was the approval by Parliament on March 30, 2024, of constitutional amendments that considerably strengthened the role of the central authorities.
We hope that all participants in the political process, including the leadership of Somaliland and Puntland, will continue to work together with Mogadishu to stabilize the internal political situation and form a sustainable model of federal structure. We proceed from the need to ensure the territorial integrity and unity of Somalia.
Mr.President,
Somali national security forces and AU peacekeepers play a key role in the fight against terrorism and in stabilizing the situation. We pay tribute to all those who fight and give their lives for that cause. We support the efforts of the international community to strengthen the capacity of the national forces and of ATMIS. We trust that the staffing of the Mission will not be aggravated by political differences between the Somali Government and the peacekeeping contributors.
As a matter of principle, we are convinced that the drawdown of ATMIS contingent should proceed in accordance with the plan adopted by the African Union Peace and Security Council and Somalia and as the country's army becomes ready to fully protect civilians, state institutions and infrastructure throughout its territory. In that regard, we express our support for the principle set out in the June 20 communiqué of the African Union PSC on the step-by-step implementation of the third phase of ATMIS drawdown.
We count on the coordinated work of the UN presence in the country. We hope that the process of reformatting the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) into a UN country team will proceed in an orderly manner and in accordance with the timetable agreed upon in the framework of consultations between Mogadishu and the leadership of the United Nations.
Thank you.
