The Security Council decided today to extend until 31 March 2020 the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), as previously set out in resolution 2158 (2014), and requested the Mission to maintain and strengthen its presence throughout the country, as the security situation allows.
With the conflict in Syria having just entered its ninth year, and the country’s people having endured eight years of horrendous suffering, the United Nations is seeking to forge a negotiated political solution, the Organization’s senior political and peacebuilding affairs official told the Security Council today.
The Security Council pressed for speedier implementation of Mali’s peace agreement, encouraged Burkina Faso to continue democratic reforms and learned of the challenges faced by the joint force of the Group of 5 for the Sahel States (G‑5 Sahel) during a visiting mission to the region on 23 to 24 March, the co‑leads of the mission said today.
Progress can be made on even the most protracted issues when national leaders of Africa’s Great Lakes demonstrate political will, the United Nations Special Envoy for that region told the Security Council today as it discussed the presence of armed groups, the refugee crisis and the illicit exploitation of and trafficking in natural resources, among other persistent challenges.
The current situation in Darfur is “completely different” from 2005, when sanctions were imposed, the representative of Sudan said today, urging the lifting of the arms embargo, as the Security Council heard a briefing on the work of its Committee established to implement the restrictive measures.
The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process warned the Security Council today about the danger of renewed violence in the Gaza Strip, “with potentially catastrophic consequences”, in the aftermath of rocket and mortar attacks from the Palestinian enclave and Israel’s robust military response.
The National Conference on the future of Libya, to be held in April, presents a crucial opportunity for all parties to set aside their differences, unite, avoid war and choose a path of peace and prosperity, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative for that country told the Security Council today.
To keep terrorists from accessing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, Governments can deploy a range of measures, such as devising national action plans, designating point persons and conducting peer reviews, speakers told the Security Council today as it considered non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) called today for continuing Security Council support for what has been achieved since that country’s first-ever peaceful transfer of power.
The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year, while maintaining its ceiling of 17,000 troops – including a Regional Protection Force authorized to take robust action where necessary – and a police ceiling of 2,101 personnel.
