The Security Council renewed today its authorization of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for another 10 months, deciding to reduce uniformed personnel to 20,626 by 28 February 2019, and cautioning against any further delay in lowering that number beyond that date.
From 4 to 10 May 2018, the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea, His Excellency, Kairat Umarov, joined by the delegation comprising of Ethiopia, Khazakhstan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Sweden and members of the Secretariat, visited Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Humanitarian organizations in South Sudan are responding to urgent needs of the estimated 50,000 people displaced in Leer, Mayendit and Koch Counties in Unity state amid a sharp escalation in fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), SPLA-in-Opposition and armed groups.
Welcoming security, economic and political reforms in Somalia — including the peaceful election of a new Speaker of the House of People and resumed Parliament activity — the Security Council today noted with concern recent fighting in the northern Sool region, urging parties to cease hostilities, pull back their forces and engage in dialogue.
The World Food Programme has begun distributing food rations to people affected by the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Equateur Province. The World Health Organization is helping the nine surrounding countries scale up national emergency preparedness and response capacities.
The United Nations mission in the Central African Republic says investigations are ongoing in Bria (in Haute Kotto prefecture), where United Nations police arrested an anti‑Balaka leader suspected of involvement in an attack on a Formed Police Unit patrol that resulted in the death of a peacekeeper last December.
The World Health Organization and partners are supporting the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in preparing to vaccinate high‑risk populations against Ebola. Health workers operating in affected areas are being vaccinated today and community outreach has started to prepare for the ring vaccination.
Michael Keating, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, joined that country’s President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmaajo” on Tuesday in calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities between “Somaliland” and Puntland forces following recent fighting in the Tukaraq area of the Sool region.
The Security Council today decided to reauthorize member States of the African Union to maintain their deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until 31 July 2018, recalling also its decision to authorize the regional bloc to reduce the Mission’s troop and police personnel levels by the end of October.
The recent approval of Somalia’s security transition plan by the Council of Ministers, and its endorsement by the African Union Peace and Security Council, marked a milestone in the country’s path towards assuming full responsibility for its own stability, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today.
