Communique: The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 214th meeting held on 8 January 2010, considered the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in Somalia

COMMUNIQUE OF THE 214^th MEETING
OF THE PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 214^th meeting held on 8 January 2010, considered the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in Somalia and adopted the following decision:

Council,

1. Takes note of the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in Somalia [PSC/PR/2(CCXIV)], as well as the briefings provided by the representative of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, the representatives of the Chair and IGAD Secretariat, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Somalia, and the representative of the League of Arab States;

2. Recalls its earlier decisions and communiques on the situation in Somalia;

3. Reaffirms the AU's support to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and its efforts towards the implementation of the Djibouti Peace Process, including the steps taken to reach out to all Somali stakeholders willing to renounce violence and pursue the path of dialogue and reconciliation;

4. Reiterates its strong condemnation of the continued attacks and other acts of terror being perpetrated against the TFG, the Somali people and AMISOM by the armed groups bent on undermining the peace and reconciliation process, with the support of foreign actors. Council further condemns the actions of Al Shabaab to deny the needy population access to humanitarian aid and services;

5. Welcomes the adoption by the United Nations Security Council, on 23 December 2009, of resolution 1907(2009), which imposes sanctions on Eritrea, namely an arms embargo and travel restrictions on and a freeze on the assets of its political and military leaders for, among others, providing political, financial and logistical support to armed groups engaged in undermining peace and reconciliation in Somalia and regional stability. Council stresses the need to pursue vigorously the effective implementation of resolution 1907 (2009). Council calls upon the Sanctions Committee to urgently designate the relevant Eritrean military and political leaders and other persons and entities as required to allow for an effective sanctions regime to be implemented. Council urges the Security Council to also speedily act on its earlier request for the imposition of a no-fly-zone and the blockade of sea ports to prevent the entry into Somalia of foreign elements and the supply of logistical and other support to the insurgency;

6. Reiterates its appreciation to the Troop Contributing (namely, Burundi and Uganda) and Police Contributing Countries to AMISOM, and welcomes the pledge by Djibouti to deploy a battalion, as well as the pledge by Burundi and Uganda to deploy each one additional battalion. Council calls on Member States to provide the troops required for AMISOM to reach its authorized strength;

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7. Welcomes the adoption by the 33 Ordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers held in Djibouti, on 7 and 8 December 2009, of a Comprehensive Strategy on Somalia, which supports the Djibouti Peace Process, as well as the rebuilding of Institutions and Governance structures. Council reiterates the need for enhanced coordination between the AU, IGAD and the United Nations for more effective support to the TFG and the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia;

8. Appreciates all the support to the TFG and AMISOM by the international community and, in this respect, reiterates its gratitude to the United Nations for its support to AMISOM, through the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA), the United States Government, the European Union and its Member States and other AU partners. Council notes, however, that the support provided remains below the optimal level required to sustainably turn around the political and security situation in Somalia. Therefore, Council stresses the need for predictable, reliable and timely provision of resources to the AU by all partners, in order to ensure the enhancement and sustenance of AMISOM, as well as to the TFG, to strengthen its capacity, especially in the security sector. In this regard, Council calls for the expeditious disbursement of all pledges made at the Brussels Pledging Conference;

9. Draws the attention of all stakeholders in Somalia, including the international community, to the significance of 2010 in the transitional process of Somalia. In this regard, Council calls on Member States and the international community to demonstrate increased level of commitment to the overall peace process, by supporting the implementation of the other components of the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), in particular the preparation and conduct of free and fair general elections. Council further calls on the TFG to show greater involvement in ensuring a more secured environment that will facilitate the full implementation of the transitional arrangement;

10. Notes with concern the persistence of the phenomenon of piracy off the coast of Somalia, which, through the payment of ransom money, contributes to criminality, terrorism and extremism in Somalia. In line with the relevant provisions of the Tripoli Declaration of 31 August 2009, Council discourages in its entirety the payment of ransom, pending the introduction of an appropriate legal instrument to criminalize the payment and receipt of ransom money;

11. Welcomes the Commission's intention, in the coming weeks, to initiate an in-depth reflection on the situation in Somalia, to take stock of the efforts undertaken to-date and assess the level of support received from the international community, with the view of identifying the appropriate additional measures needed to further the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia. In this respect, Council reiterates its call to the United Nations Security Council to take the necessary steps for the UN to play a role commensurate with the gravity and complexity of the situation on the ground, including through the transformation of AMISOM into a UN peacekeeping operation and the putting in place of all other legal, budgetary, logistical and operational arrangements that could decisively enhance the effectiveness of the action by the international community in Somalia;

12. Pays tribute to the former Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for Somalia, Mr. Nicolas Bwakira, for his commitment and services, and welcomes the appointment of Ambassador Boubacar Diarra as the new Special Representative, and calls upon the Somali parties, as well as AU Member States and partners, to extend full cooperation and support to him in the discharge of his responsibilities;

13. Decides to renew the mandate of AMISOM for a period of twelve months, beginning from 17 January 2010, and requests the UN Security Council to support this decision;

14. Decides to remain seized of the matter.