Somalia’s political turmoil and escalating security thtreats will be under intense scrutiny on Monday when the United Nations Security council convenes for an open briefing followed by closed consultations.
Acting special representatives of the secretary general for Somalia,james swan,and special reprensentatives of the AU commission chairperson for,Mohamed el-amine souef,will lead the session.
The meeting marks swans’ first briefing since resuming his role in may.
He is expected to present the latest political,economic,and security developments in Somalia based on the secretary general’s June 3 report.
Key issues include recent constitutional amendments,escalating tensions with Ethiopia,and the ongoing threat posed by al shabaab.
On march 30,somalia’s federal parliament approved significant amendments to the provisional constitution.
Thes changes introduce a one-person,one vote election system and provide for direct presidential elections,moving away from the traditional clan based formula.However,these reforms have sparked controversy.Puntland,a semi-autonomous region,announced on march 31 that it would withdraw recognition of the federal government and has refrained from participating in national consultative council meetings.
Another major topic will be somalia’s request to terminate UNSOM by the end of its mandate in October.In letters circulated to council members in may,Somalia called for swift conclusion of the necessary procedures for this transition.The council has requested the secretary general to engage with the Somalia government to determine the modalities and timeline for the transition and provide an update by the end of August.
Adding to Somalia’s political complexity are rising tensions with Ethiopia.Following a memorandum of understanding signed between Ethiopia and Somaliland on januray 1,Somalia expelled Ethiopia,s ambassador in Mogadishu on April 4,and closed Ethiopian consulates in garowe and Hargeisa.
Somalia,s national security advisor has called for Ethiopian troops to leave the countru by the end of December,coinciding with the planned drawdown of ATMIS.However,this move faced opposition from Somalia,s jubbaland and southwest states,wich rely on Ethiopian forces for security.
The meeting will also address the ongoing security threat posed by al shabaab, a terrorist group affiliated with al-qaeda.
The secretary general,s report documented a significant increase in civilian casualties due to alshabaab,s use of improvised explosive devices (IED,s).UNSOM recorded 340 civilian deaths,including 146 fatalities,between january 25 and may 25,marking a 104 percent increase compared to the previous reporting period.
Souef is expected to highlight ATMIS’ support for somali security forces in countering al shabaab and the progress of ATMIS’ drawdown process.
He will also discuss the ongoing discussions about post-ATMIS security arrangements to prevent any security vacuum.
The African union peace and security council (AUPSC), recently endorsed the establishment of a new AU led,UN authorized mission for Somalia to support the federal government in post-ATMIS security arrangements.
This decision follows a technical assessment conducted bt the AU’s peace support operations division.The AUPSC has requested the AU commission to develop financing otions for the new mission and submit a concept of operations by the end of July.
As the council meets on Monday,members are likely to discuss the mandate extension for ATMIS wich is set to expire on June 30.
The UK,the penholder on somallia,has yet to circulate a draft resolution on this matter.
Sourc:Hiiraan online