Security Council

6266^th Meeting (AM)

Security Council Extends Authorization for African Union Mission in Somalia

 

until 31 January 2011, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 1910 (2010)

 

Welcoming the Secretary-General’s recommendations for continued action on the political, security and recovery tracks in embattled Somalia, the Security Council today authorized the African Union to maintain its mission there ‑‑ AMISOM ‑‑ until 31 January 2011 and asked it to increase its force strength, with a view to achieving the originally mandated target of 8,000 troops thus enhancing its ability to fully carry out its mandate.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1910 (2010) under the Charter’s Chapter VII, the Council, in asking AMISOM to assist Somali’s Transitional Federal Government to develop the police and national security forces, requested the Secretary-General to continue to provide a logistical support package for the mission, comprising equipment and services, including public information support, but not including the transfer of funds until 31 January 2011, in order to ensure the accountability and transparency of expenditure of United Nations funds.

In that connection, the Council asked AMISOM to ensure that such equipment and services were used transparently and effectively for their designated purposes and to report to the Secretary-General on their usage, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Africa Union.

Member States and regional and international organizations were urged to contribute generously and promptly to the United Nations Trust Fund for AMISOM, or to make direct bilateral donations in support of it.

The Council recalled its “statement of intent” in resolution 1863 (2009) regarding the establishment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation and noted today that any decision to deploy such an operation would take into account, among other things, the conditions set out in the Secretary-General’s report dated 16 April 2009 (document S/2009/210).  It requests the Secretary-General to take the steps identified in that report in paragraphs 82 to 86, subject to the conditions in the report.

[In the first of those paragraphs, the Secretary-General says that, while the deployment of a multidimensional United Nations peacekeeping operation should remain the United Nations goal, realistically, achieving that goal will require fulfilling the conditions set out in previous reports.  He recommends at present, an incremental approach, whereby the United Nations would pursue its strategic objectives set out earlier in this report and concerning the political, security and recovery tracks.  He further recommends an approach in three phases:  first, maintenance of United Nations current engagement as approved in Council resolution 1863 (2009), consisting of support to AMISOM, support for Somali security institutions, and support for the political process and the recovery and humanitarian activities of the United Nations country team.

In a further step, he says that if security conditions permit, the United Nations engagement would then be extended to the second phase, which would entail adding to the activities of the first phase “a light United Nations footprint in Mogadishu” consisting of elements from UNPOS, to support the political process on the ground; the Department of Field Support, to oversee delivery of the AMISOM support package; and the United Nations country team, to oversee delivery of humanitarian assistance, and recovery and development projects.  Following a review by the Council three to four months after commencement of that phase’s implementation, it would decide whether conditions and timing were conductive to shift to the third and final phase, in which a United Nations peacekeeping operation could be established to take over from AMISOM.

Through the three phases, the Secretary-General says it will be important to have in place a contingency plan for continuing United Nations engagement under the other scenarios described, where there could be a possible degeneration of the security situation that would make it untenable to establish and retain an international presence in Mogadishu.]

For a summary of the present report before the Council today (document S/2009/684), see Press Release SC/9844 of 14 January.

The meeting was called to order at 10:10 a.m. and was adjourned at 10:14 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 1910 (2010) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling all its previous resolutions and statements of its President concerning the situation in Somalia,

“Recalling its resolutions 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006) and 1894 (2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009) on women and peace and security, and 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009) on children and armed conflict,

“Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia,

“Reiterating its commitment to a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia,

“Reiterating its full support for the Djibouti Peace Process, which provides the framework for reaching a lasting political solution in Somalia, expressing its support for the Transitional Federal Charter, recognizing the need to promote reconciliation and dialogue among the Somali population and stressing the importance of broad-based and representative institutions reached through a political process ultimately inclusive of all,

“Commending the contribution of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to lasting peace and stability in Somalia, expressing its appreciation for the continued commitment of troops and equipment to AMISOM by the Governments of Uganda and Burundi, and condemning any hostilities towards AMISOM and the Transitional Federal Government,

“Commending the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, and reaffirming its strong support for his efforts,

“Welcoming the communiqué of the 214th meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council of 18 January 2010, which renewed the mandate of AMISOM for an additional period of 12 months,

“Reaffirming the importance of the re-establishment, training, equipping and retention of Somali security forces, which is vital for the long-term stability of Somalia, and emphasizing the importance of coordinated, timely and sustained support from the international community,

“Strongly encouraging the prompt disbursement of funds pledged in support of the Somali security institutions and AMISOM at the International Conference on Somalia held in Brussels on 23 April 2009, and recognizing the importance of timely and predictable funding for the Transitional Federal Government and AMISOM,

“Reiterating its serious concern at the continued fighting in Somalia, and reaffirming its support for the Transitional Federal Government,

“Condemning the terrorist attacks on the Transitional Federal Government, AMISOM and the civilian population by armed groups and foreign fighters who undermine peace and stability in Somalia, particularly Al Shabaab, and stressing the terrorist threat that Somali armed groups, in particular Al Shabaab, constitute for Somalia and for the international community,

“Emphasizing the importance of effective public information and communications operations to support the Transitional Federal Government and AMISOM and consolidate the political process, and expressing its serious concern at the continued attacks against journalists,

“Reiterating its serious concern at the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, strongly condemning the targeting and obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian aid by armed groups in Somalia, which has prevented the delivery of such aid in some areas, deploring the repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel, expressing its condemnation in the strongest terms of all acts of violence or abuses committed against civilians and humanitarian personnel, in violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and reaffirming the importance of the fight against impunity,

“Expressing its concern at the significant decline in humanitarian funding for Somalia and calling on all Member States to contribute to current and future consolidated humanitarian appeals,

“Condemning all and any violations of human rights and international humanitarian and human rights law, stressing the responsibility of all parties in Somalia to respect fully their obligations in this regard and to take appropriate measures to protect civilians, including women and children, and recalling the conclusions of the Security Council working group on Children and Armed Conflict pertaining to parties in the armed conflict of Somalia (S/AC.51/2008/14),

“Recalling its resolution 1897 (2009), recognizing that the ongoing instability in Somalia contributes to the problem of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, stressing the need for a comprehensive response to tackle piracy and its underlying causes, by the international community, including through the training of the Somali coastguard, and welcoming the efforts of the Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, States and international and regional organizations,

“Welcoming the Secretary-General’s report dated 31 December 2009 (S/2009/684), and its recommendations for continued action on the political, security and recovery tracks by the Transitional Federal Government with the support of the international community,

“Determining that the situation in Somalia constitutes a threat to international peace and security in the region,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

“1.   Decides to authorize the Member States of the African Union to maintain AMISOM until 31 January 2011, which shall be authorized to take all necessary measures to carry out its existing mandate as set out in paragraph 9 of resolution 1772 (2007);

“2.   Requests the African Union to maintain AMISOM’s deployment in Somalia and to increase its force strength with a view to achieving AMISOM’s originally mandated strength of 8,000 troops, thereby enhancing its ability to carry out its mandate in full;

“3.   Requests AMISOM to continue to assist the Transitional Federal Government in the development of the Somali Police Force and the National Security Force, and to assist the integration of Somali units trained by other Member States or organizations inside and outside Somalia;

“4.   Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide a logistical support package for AMISOM called for by resolution 1863 (2009), comprising equipment and services, including public information support, but not including the transfer of funds, as described in the Secretary-General’s letter (S/2009/60) to the Security Council until 31 January 2011, ensuring the accountability and transparency of expenditure of United Nations funds;

“5.   Encourages Member States to support AMISOM and the Somali Security Sector Institutions through the provision of appropriate and necessary equipment;

“6.   Requests AMISOM to ensure that all equipment and services provided under the support package are used in a transparent and effective manner for their designated purposes, and further requests the African Union to report to the Secretary-General on the usage of such equipment and services in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding established between the United Nations and the African Union;

“7.   Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide technical and expert advice to the African Union in the planning and deployment of AMISOM through the existing United Nations planning team in Addis Ababa;

“8.   Urges Member States and regional and international organizations to contribute generously and promptly to the United Nations Trust Fund for AMISOM, or to make direct bilateral donations in support of AMISOM, and encourages donors to work closely with the United Nations and African Union in order to ensure that the appropriate funds and equipment are promptly provided, particularly in relation to the salaries of AMISOM soldiers and the costs of contingent-owned equipment;

“9.   Recalls its statement of intent regarding the establishment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation as expressed in resolution 1863 (2009), and notes that any decision to deploy such an operation would take into account inter alia the conditions set out in the Secretary-General’s report dated 16 April 2009 (S/2009/210), and requests the Secretary-General to take the steps identified in paragraphs 82-86 of his report (S/2009/210), subject to the conditions in this report;

“10.  Emphasizes that Somalia’s long-term security rests with the effective development by the Transitional Federal Government of the National Security Force and the Somali Police Force, in the framework of the Djibouti Agreement and in line with a national security strategy;

“11.  Urges Member States, regional and international organizations to contribute generously and promptly to the United Nations Trust Fund for the Somali security institutions, and to offer assistance to the Somali security forces, including through training and equipment in coordination with AMISOM, consistent with paragraphs 11 (b) and 12 of resolution 1772 (2007);

“12.  Requests the Secretary-General to continue to assist the Transitional Federal Government in developing the transitional security institutions, including the Somali Police Force, and the National Security Force, and to continue to support the Transitional Federal Government in developing a national security strategy, which reflects respect for the rule of law and the protection of human rights, including plans for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), justice and corrections capacities, as well as the legal and policy framework for the operation of its security forces including governance, vetting and oversight mechanisms;

“13.  Reaffirms that the measures imposed by paragraph 5 of resolution 733 (1992) and further elaborated upon by paragraphs 1 and 2 of resolution 1425 (2002) shall not apply to supplies and technical assistance provided in accordance with paragraph 11 (b) and 12 of resolution 1772 (2007) to the Transitional Federal Government for the purposes of the development of its security sector institutions, consistent with the Djibouti peace process and subject to the notification procedure set out in paragraph 12 of resolution 1772 (2007);

“14.  Reiterates its call on all Somali parties to support the Djibouti Agreement, and calls for the end of all hostilities, acts of armed confrontation and efforts to undermine the Transitional Federal Government;

“15.  Welcomes the efforts of the Transitional Federal Government on reconciliation, urges the Transitional Federal Government to continue and strengthen these efforts in the framework of the Djibouti Agreement with all groups willing to cooperate and ready to renounce violence, and requests the Secretary-General, through his Special Representative for Somalia, to continue to work with the international community to facilitate reconciliation;

“16.  Calls for the immediate cessation of all acts of violence or abuses committed against civilians and humanitarian personnel in violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law;

“17.  Calls on all parties and armed groups to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and supplies, and demands that all parties ensure full, safe and unhindered access for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to persons in need of assistance across the country;

“18.  Requests the Secretary-General, through his Special Representative for Somalia and the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), to redouble their efforts to coordinate effectively and develop an integrated approach to all activities of the United Nations system in Somalia, to provide good offices and political support for the efforts to establish lasting peace and stability in Somalia, and to mobilize resources and support from the international community for both the immediate recovery and long-term economic development of Somalia taking into account the recommendations contained in his report (S/2009/684);

“19.  Calls on the Transitional Federal Government to take every appropriate measure to improve security conditions in Somalia and requests the Secretary-General to expedite the proposed deployment of elements of UNPOS and other United Nations offices and agencies, including the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA), to Mogadishu consistent with the security conditions, as outlined in his report (S/2009/210);

“20.  Requests the Secretary-General to report on all aspects of this resolution every four months commencing 1 January and expresses its intention to review the situation, as part of his reporting obligations, as specified in the statement of the President of the Security Council of 31 October 2001 (S/PRST/2001/30) and Security Council resolution 1872 (2009);

“21.  Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”

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For information media • not an official record