STATEMENT BY AMB HAROLD ADLAI AGYEMAN, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF GHANE TO THE UN, ON BEHALF OF THE A-3 (GABON, GHANA & KENYA) DURING THE BRIEFING ON SOMALIA WEDNESDAY, 7TH SEPTEMBER 2022
Mr. President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the members of the A-3, namely: Gabon, Ghana, and Kenya.
We thank SRSG James Swan, and Annete Weber, EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa for their briefings. We welcome the appointment of Amb. Mohammed El-Amine Souef of Comoros as Head of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia and his representation in this meeting by....... We also welcome the participation in this meeting of the Permanent Representative of Somalia.
The A-3 welcomes the encouraging political developments in Somalia especially efforts of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to foster national unity and reconciliation by addressing existing differences between the Federal Government and the Federal Member States.
We particularly welcome the convening of the first meeting of the National Consultative Council in June 2022, and the consensus reached on (i) implementing the federal system, (ii) preserving the constitutional development process and completing the provisional constitution within an agreed time frame, (iii) finalizing a national independent judiciary system and (iv) completing the National Security Architecture, which is critical for force development and generation as well as for sustaining a focused fight against terrorism.
We encourage future NCC meetings to be sustained as a regular feature of governance to address lingering differences as such an approach offers the opportunity to develop sound foundation for sustainable peace in Somalia.
Mr. President,
On the security situation, we remain concerned about the ability of Al-Shabaab to sustain operations including carrying out complex terror attacks within and beyond Somalia.
We strongly condemn the recent spate of attacks by the group targeting key installations in Mogadishu, security personnel and civilians, and its invasion into the Somali Region of Ethiopia.
The A3 members convey their deepest condolences to the families of the victims as well as governments in the region and wish the injured speedy recovery.
These attacks, illustrate how the Al-Qaeda affiliated group is determined to destabilize the region by exporting its brand of extremist ideology.
The persistent terrorist attacks have also demonstrated the need for increased international cooperation and solidarity in the fight against the threat.
We therefore reiterate our call for Somalia’s international partners and stakeholders to support efforts of the Federal Government in safeguarding the security for the country and countering Al-Shabaab’s networks and capabilities.
We underscore the role of the Africa Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) mandate, particularly in the implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan, and welcome in this regard, the installation of a new police station at Jowhar airport to strengthen security.
The members of A-3 emphasize the need for sustained, adequate and predictable funding by the international community to enable (ATMIS) effectively deliver on its mandate.
Similarly, we call upon Somalia’s partners to support the FGS generate required forces to take over security responsibility for the country and ensure the gains so far achieved are not reversed.
15. The A3 expresses its full solidarity with the Federal Government and the people of Somalia in their fight against terrorism and reaffirm our commitment to support their efforts in eradicating extremism to bring peace and stability to the country.
Mr. President,
Regarding the humanitarian situation, the A-3 is concerned about the worsening crisis in Somalia which, regrettably, is not matched by timely and adequate funding.
Furthermore, the vagaries of climate change continue to plague and negatively affect millions of people in the Horn of Africa.
In Somalia, drought has reached an unprecedented level this year with devastingimpact on civilians who are already facing an acute food insecurity.
We appeal on the humanitarian community to scale up their relief efforts and urgently address the funding gap in the Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan.
We welcome the Federal Government of Somalia’s commitment to work with the international humanitarian organisations and encourage the improved coordination efforts of the Drought Envoy appointed by President Mohamud.
Mr. President,
21. In conclusion, the A3 urges Somalia’s political leaders to focus on advancing the commonly agreed national priorities, in line with the Somali Transitional Plan, so as to make progress in stabilising Somalia and rebuilding strong Federal State structures and processes. 22. On its part, the wider international community should support such efforts through accelerated debt relief as well as the injection of new funds to revamp the economy and remove existing drivers of instability that have been exploited by Al- Shabaab to spread radicalism and undermine state legitimacy. 23. The A-3 will continue to stand with the people of Somalia in their struggle for peace, security and national development. I thank you. Final 8
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