MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on terrorist attacks in Somalia
3.7.2018 - (2018/2784(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Miguel Urbán Crespo, Lola Sánchez Caldentey, Marie‑Christine Vergiat, Merja Kyllönen, Neoklis Sylikiotis, Takis Hadjigeorgiou, Malin Björk, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Stelios Kouloglou, Tania González Peñas, Xabier Benito Ziluaga, Estefanía Torres Martínez, Sofia Sakorafa on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0323/2018
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Somalia,
– having regard to the statements by the Spokesperson of the European External Action Service on 30 October 2017,
– having regard to the statement by Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on the decision on an electoral model for Somalia in 2016,
– having regard to the first EU Pan-African Programme for the period 2014-2020,
– having regard to the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, in particular to the UN Security Council Resolution 733/1992 establishing an arms embargo on Somalia which has been reaffirmed by several UNSC Resolutions, as the latest UN Security United Nations Security Council Resolution 2372,
– having regard to the UN Secretary-General’s reports on Somalia to the UN Security Council of 09 May 2017,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,
– having regard to UNDP´s study The Journey to Extremism in Africa: Drivers, Incentives and the Tipping Point for Recruitment,
– having regard to the African Charter on Human Rights and Peoples of 1981,
– having regard to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention to which Kenya is a party,
– having regard to the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative launched on 28 November of 2014,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Somalia’s long-running armed conflict continued to take a heavy toll on civilians in much of south-central Somalia; whereas warring parties continued to kill, wound, and forcibly displace civilians; whereas restrictions on humanitarian access exacerbated the human rights and humanitarian crises;
B. whereas according to UNICEF, about 230,000 people, over half of whom are estimated to be children, have been displaced since April due to flooding; whereas they join around 2.6 million people across the country who have already been affected by drought and conflict; whereas the flooding has also damaged water sources, sanitation facilities and other critical infrastructure, and had have tremendous impact of hunger rates;
C. whereas the self-declared republic of Somaliland and Puntland, an autonomous Somali region, are engaged in a perilous standoff over long-contested areas Sool and Sanaag; whereas after repeated deadly clashes since the start of 2018, both sides are using incendiary rhetoric, are massing forces in the contested areas and have shunned UN diplomacy;
D. whereas a confrontation between Somaliland and Puntland would have disastrous consequences for much of northern Somalia but also risks contributing to instability across the country;
E. whereas both Al-Shabaab and ISIL operate in Somalia; whereas Somalia is facing an increase in the number of attacks by Al Shabaab, in the capital and in other areas of the south of the country;
F. whereas a UNDP´s study found that in “a majority of cases, state action appears to be the primary factor finally pushing individuals into violent extremism in Africa”;
G. whereas the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and the Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) make arbitrary arrests of people without charge or access to legal advice and family visits; whereas there are allegations that intelligence agents have tortured and mistreated suspected terrorists to extract confessions or information;
H. whereas children with alleged links to the armed Islamist group Al-Shabab are illegally detaining and sometimes prosecuting in military courts and sentencing to prison sentences; whereas HRW denounces that officials and guards have subjected children to coercive treatment and interrogations, including torture, to obtain confessions;
I. whereas the US involvement in Somalia intensified in the later years of the Obama administration and has increased significantly since Donald Trump became president, with greater latitude given to local commanders to order airstrikes or take part in raids; whereas the US government introduced secret changes in its regulations on the use of lethal force in anti-terrorist operations and included Somalia among its designated areas for active hostilities; whereas, according to Amnesty International, at least 3 civilians were killed in aerial attacks and by US drones;
J. whereas AMISOM, the 22 000-strong African Union peacekeeping mission, is mandated, inter alia, to reduce the threat posed by Al-Shabab and other armed opposition groups, to provide security in order to enable the political process at all levels, as well as stabilisation efforts, reconciliation and peacebuilding in Somalia, and to enable the gradual handing over of security responsibilities from AMISOM to the Somali security forces, which is contingent on the capabilities of the latter;
K. whereas AMISOM forces have been accused on several occasions of civilian killings and of severe human rights abuses, including indiscriminate killings and some cases of sexual exploitation and abuse; whereas the EU has supported the mission since its launch through a specific instrument – Africa Peace Facility, mostly by providing funds for stipends of the troops;
L. whereas instrumentalisation of ethnic tensions are huge in Somalia; whereas Somalia’s clan leaders foster ethnic feuds against each other so that they can fight for scant resources in their incredibly impoverished land; whereas mounting tension between Mogadishu and Somalia’s federal states has also impacted security;
M. whereas the rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, on one hand, and Qatar on the other, has aggravated such friction, as the Saudis and Emiratis develop direct links with federal states and undermine their relations with the federal government, tensions have grown over which side of the Gulf dispute to back; whereas Saudi inspired and promoted Wahhabism serves as an ideological foundation for several terror groups within Somalia and throughout the broader region;
N. whereas Somalia is among the most dangerous countries for trade unions and workers in Africa, according to the ITUC Global Rights Index. ITUC affiliate FESTU, and the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) continue to receive threats and intimidation; whereas in Somalia, workers and unionists are killed, threatened to death, and legitimate trade union meetings are impeded or disrupted; whereas the government is heavily interfering in trade union internal affairs in violation of ILO Conventions No.87 and No.98
O. whereas attacks against the media continued, including harassment and intimidation by federal and regional authorities and by Al-Shabab;
P. Whereas LGBTI rights in Somalia fall under the scope of Somalia's federal laws, which establishes homosexuality as illegal and as punishable; whereas in some parts of Somalia homosexuality is punished by death;
Q. whereas women and girls who are internally displaced continue to be at special risk of sexual violence by armed men, including government soldiers and militiamen, and civilians; whereas according to the UN, incidents of sexual violence reported around displacement settlements increased in 2017;
R. Whereas Somalia remains one of the countries with the largest and most protracted displaced communities worldwide, with 2.1 million people internally displaced, including an estimated 400 000 living in Mogadishu alone; whereas there are allegations of serious abuses committed against displaced communities in Mogadishu, including forced evictions, sexual violence and discrimination;
S. whereasthere are almost 1 million refugees in the Horn of Africa region; whereas in July 2016 alone, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that forced evictions and insecurity due to the ongoing military offensive resulted in almost 28 000 new displacements; whereas, on 28 November 2015, ministers in the EU-28 and several African states, including Somalia, as well as the European and African Union launched the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, also known as the ‘Khartoum Process’, which aims to externalise EU border control and limit the number of migrants and people in need of international protection travelling to Europe under the pretext of the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling;
1. Deeply condemns the violence escalation in Somalia; deplors the ongoing rise of inter-ethnic conflictivity instrumentalisation and terrorism which is leading to a dramatic increase of violence and severe breaches of human rights within Somalia;
2. Is deeply worried by the dramatic humanitarian situation people are facing in Somalia due to flows and conflict; calls, in this regard, the EU to boost humanitarian assistance and effective developing aid to target those most in need;
3. Deplores the abuses of labour rights workers are facing in Somalia; Urges, in this regard, the relevant authorities, to ensure effective promotion and respect of labour rights and ILO core conventions;
4. Calls on the relevant authorities to address disputes underpinning political infighting;
5. Rejects any external geostrategic interest-oriented operations, destabilization strategies and external interference in Somalia; calls on the EU and its Member States to firmly situate the principal of political coherence at the core of its relationships with the Gulf States, particularly with Saudi Arabia, in order to effectively tackle the effects of the expansion, promotion and inspiration that Wahhabist ideology represents to peaceful coexistence, interethnic and interreligious tolerance and democratic values;
6. Recalls fighting terrorism and violent extremism involves more than surveillance and security; recalls that surpassing violent extremism and inter-ethnic conflictivity, and achieving lasting stability and peace, can only be accomplished through social inclusion, sustainable development and good governance based on the democratic principles and rule of law in which peoples’ dignity and rights are fully respected;
7. Expresses the need for an all-inclusive dialogue between the country’s social sectors, including the clans and tribes that compose the Somalian nation, to allow for mutual understanding and to establish a consensus for a long-lasting and stable peace; encourage the parties to resolve their differences and work together to enhance peace and sustainable development and defeat those who use violence against the Somali people; Supports the participation of civil society in peace negotiations as essential;
8. Considers that human rights violations cannot be justified as a means to combat the threat posed by terrorist organizations; Deplores that in several cases the fight against terrorism is used as an excuse to ensure the military presence in different parts of the world due to geostrategic objectives; condemns, in this regard, the role of the United States of America in the region and the bombings made by US drones against innocent civilians with the purpose of fighting terrorism; underlines that these bombings already contributed to hundreds of deaths of innocent civilians; condemns in the same way the EUNAVFOR mission in Somalia that with the pretext of fighting piracy contributed to destroy and attack small fishermen's of the region and just to defend the interests of big European shipping companies;
9. Reiterates its paramount concern on women's rights; calls on the relevant authorities to promote gender equality and women's empowerment through boosting women and women rights organisations participation in public and political life and combatting all forms of violence against women; condemns the illegalisation of homosexuality in Somalia the criminalization of LGTBI people; calls on the Somalian Authorities to eliminate discriminatory laws and policies, decriminalization, and combating the death penalty for same-sex relations, to promote equality and non-discrimination at all policies, to actively combat violence by the state or by individuals against LGBTI persons;
10. Urges the European Commission and its Member States scaling up the non-military humanitarian support to fulfil the need for those most in need;
11. Calls for EU aid to be aligned with internationally agreed development effectiveness principles, be human-rights-centred, environmentally sustainable, promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and focus on tackling the root problems of inequality and poverty -which in many cases, are also the root causes of forced migration- in order to achieve the recently approved Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); stresses further that development aid must not be made conditional on cooperation in migration matters such as border management or readmission agreements; recalls its concerns about the increasing use of trust funds, such as limited transparency, lack of consultation and regional ownership;
12. Strongly condemns the Khartoum Process which legitimates governments who are themselves the source of forced migration; condemns the financial support of the EU for policies whose aim it is to externalise border controls under the pretext of the fight against trafficking and to create ‘information campaign’ which in reality legitimises authoritarian regimes and dictatorships without changing the current situation of the people in need in those countries; Calls for ensuring rights and a save passage to both migrants and displaced;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the ACP-EU Council, the East African Community and the government of its member states, the institutions of the African Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations;