B9‑0568/2021

European Parliament resolution on situation in Somalia

(2021/2981(RSP))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on Somalia,

- having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,

- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

- having regard to the Statement by the HR/VP Josep Borrell on the political situation in Somalia of 18 September 2021,

- having regard to the Statement by HR/VP Josep Borrell on the successful conclusion of the FGS-FMS Summit of 28 May 2021,

- having regard to the Statement by HR/VP Josep Borrell on the current political situation of 13 April 2021,

- having regard to the UN Security Council Report of the Secretary-General: Situation in Somalia of 11 November 2021,

- having regard to the OHCHR “Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia” of14 July 2021,

- having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the country is completing the vote for its Upper House and beginning those for the Lower House; whereas completing this electoral process on time is highly critical;

B. whereas the longer the elections are delayed, the more attention and resources will be diverted away from important national priorities, such as responding to the humanitarian exigencies caused by drought, state-building and ensuring security, ensuring the timely running of elections is therefore critical to the overall stability of Somalia and the welfare of its people;

C. whereas over 60% of the 5.9 Million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Somalia, experience food insecurity; whereas at least 520000 people have been forced to flee from their homes between January and October;

D. whereas over 60% of the 5.9 M people in need of humanitarian assistance in Somalia, experience food insecurity; whereas 2 million of people face severe food and water shortages; whereas in 2020 only a quarter of Somalia’s population had access to improved sanitation facilities within 10 meters; whereas lack to water and sanitation increases the risk of illnesses; whereas more than 1 million  people have been displaced as of late November, mainly due to flooding and conflict; whereas a total of 7.7 million Somali women, men and children are estimated to require humanitarian assistance in 2022;

E. whereas among the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education sector has been hugely affected, and many children, including those living in IDP sites in particular, have been forced to discontinue their formal education due to ongoing challenges, such as their parents losing their livelihoods and effective sources of income;

F. whereas according to OCHA humanitarian agencies project that 7.7 million people in Somalia will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022 due to conflicts in various parts of the country, recurrent climatic shocks particularly drought and floods, disease outbreaks, including Covid-19, and increasing poverty;

G. whereas Somalia experienced more than 30 climate-related hazards since 1990 including 12 droughts and 19 floods and over 70 % of all Somalis live below the poverty line;

H. whereas in August, the Parliament in Mogadishu tabled a new Sexual Intercourse Related Crimes Bill allowing for child marriage by defining a child around physical maturity instead of age and including  weak procedural protections for survivors; whereas the new Sexual Intercourse Related Crimes Bill violates international and regional human rights obligations;

I. whereas all Somali parties to the conflict committed serious abuses against children, including killings, maiming, the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and attacks on schools; whereas Al-Shabab continued its aggressive child recruitment campaign with retaliation against communities;

J. whereas, in Somalia, from 16 March 2020 – 30 October 2021, there have been 22,667confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,258 deaths, reported to WHO; whereas the number of people fully vaccinated is 315, 741 (2.0%);

K. whereas freedom of expression, which is a fundamental pillar of any functioning democracy, continues to be severely limited in Somalia; whereas journalists, human rights defenders, civil society activists and political leaders continue to face threats on a daily basis; whereas journalists continue to be repeatedly harassed, arbitrarily arrested and prosecuted on baseless charges under criminal code;

1. Calls on the Somali leadership to accelerate efforts towards the completion of the country’s electoral process;

2. Deeply concerned over the continuing delays in the Somali electoral process; urges national and Federal Member State leaders and election management bodies to advance quickly to complete inclusive and credible House of the People elections before the end of 2021, so that the presidential elections can then be held as soon as possible;

3. Condemns Al-Shabaab’s ever increasing efforts deliberately directed at disrupting the electoral process with attacks on some election centres, indirect fire attacks against AMISOM fortified bases, and increased public executions of individuals working with the Somali security forces and AMISOM personnel;

4. Expresses concern about Al-Shabaab’s continued ability to conduct attacks across Somalia and the fact that the organisation still remains responsible for the majority of the security incidents in the country;

5. Recognises the positive contributions that have been made by AMISOM in contributing troops, financial and material resources helping to guarantee the protection of the civilian population in Somalia; underlines that the mission's mandate expires on 31 December and a plan to progressively transfer security responsibility from AMISOM to the Somali Security Forces, though slowly, is advancing; calls for negotiations on AMISOM’s reauthorisation in December;

6. Calls for the strengthening of the national security architecture and protection of the population, as well as for additional support from the international community to AMISOM and the Government of Somalia for their work to build peace and stability;

7. Calls for continuing encouragement and strengthening of support to the Federal Government and Federal Member States on the implementation of the Security Pact, while ensuring that the implementation of the National Security Architecture guarantees respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law;

8. Expresses concern regarding the humanitarian situation that Somalia “remains one of the most difficult environments for humanitarian workers” and that ongoing conflict and violence create “immense obstacles” for humanitarian aid delivery; stresses that climate shocks, diseases, and desert locust infestations are among the factors exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation leaving some 5.9 million people in need of assistance; underlines that high levels of food insecurity reportedly already affect nearly 3.5 million Somalis;

9. Urges all the parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate access of humanitarian workers on the ground;

10. Urges the Federal Government of Somalia to ensure the respect of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and to remain committed to ensuring that the protection of civilians remains an important government priority and that all the relevant line institutions will work with all the relevant stakeholders towards the further enhancement of their policies, systems and mechanisms relating to effective protection of civilians;

11. Urges all the parties to the conflict to refrain from the use of child soldiers and to release unlawfully detained children;

12. Urges the Government of Somalia to take concrete measures to prevent sexual violence against women and children;

13. Urges the Government of Somalia to immediately and unconditionally release journalists who have been arbitrarily arrested or detained;

14. 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 African Union, the President, the Prime Minister and the Parliament of Somalia, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.