MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Somalia
23.11.2021 - (2021/2981(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure
Karol Karski, Ryszard Czarnecki, Angel Dzhambazki, Witold Jan Waszczykowski, Alexandr Vondra, Bogdan Rzońca, Elżbieta Kruk, Raffaele Fitto, Carlo Fidanza, Elżbieta Rafalska, Veronika Vrecionová, Valdemar Tomaševski, Adam Bielan, Ladislav Ilčić, Assita Kanko, Eugen Jurzyca, Charlie Weimers, Jan Zahradil, Joanna Kopcińska
on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0554/2021
B9‑0572/2021
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Somalia
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Somalia, in particular that of 16 September 2020 on EU-African security cooperation in the Sahel region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa, that of 5 July 2018 on Somalia, that of 16 November 2017 on terrorist attacks in Somalia and that of 15 September 2016 on Somalia;
- having regard to the statements by the High Representative Josep Borrell on Somalia, particularly that of 18 September 2021, that of 23 April 2021, that of 13 April 2021, that of 23 March 2021 and that of 8 February 2021;
- having regard to the statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the successful conclusion of the FGS-FMS Summit of 28 May 2021,
- having regard to paragraph 41 of the communiqué by the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers of 5 May 2021,
- having regard to the Joint Communiqué on the Situation in Somalia by the AU, EU, IGAD and the UN of 10 April 2021,
- having regard to the Cotonou Agreement of 2000 and the post-Cotonou agreement initiated on 15 April 2021,
- having regard to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2607 (2021) of 15 November 2021,
- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 1966,
- having regard to the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989,
- having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Somalia has struggled to re-establish a functioning state since the overthrow of Siad Barre’s regime and the subsequent Somali civil war; whereas given the absence of state control, deterioration of humanitarian conditions and terrorism the country remains in a state of flux politically and socially;
B. whereas limited and indirect elections brought a federal government to power in 2012; whereas by 2016, Somalia established five federal member states, which however, often rival the central government; whereas the government’s territorial control is contested by a separatist government in Somaliland and by the al-Shabab Islamist militant group; whereas political affairs remain dominated by clan divisions;
C. whereas the failure to hold scheduled elections in 2020 and early 2021 have aggravated tensions, increased instability and violence in the country; whereas the indirect elections for the Upper House of the Federal Parliament have taken place and elections for the lower Chamber are underway; whereas the overall electoral process has been very slow;
D. whereas in 2021, an estimated 5.9 million people are expected to be in need of humanitarian assistance and over 2.7 million people are expected to face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity across the country; whereas more than 2.6 million people are internally displaced and continue to face serious risks of marginalisation;
E. whereas increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns have led to prolonged and severe drought conditions and floods in the country; whereas flooding displaced a million people in 2020 and destroyed essential infrastructure, property and 150,000 hectares of agricultural land; whereas Somalia has also experienced the worst Desert Locust invasion in 25 years with tens of thousands of hectares of cropland and pasture damaged;
F. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the health care situation in Somalia; whereas Somalia also continues to battle cholera, measles and the poliovirus; whereas COVID-19 related restrictions also disrupted the delivery of humanitarian assistance;
G. whereas insurgent groups, including al-Shabab, remain the biggest source of insecurity in the country, carrying out indiscriminate attacks on Somalis, kidnappings and the forceful recruitment of children in armed conflict; whereas since the beginning of this year, nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed or injured in armed conflict, with al-Shabab being responsible for around two-thirds of the casualties; whereas al-Shabab has stepped up attacks, ambushes, suicide bombings and targeted assassinations of government officials, in a deliberate attempt to disrupt the electoral process;
H. whereas 4.8 million people live in informal displacement camps in government controlled areas and face serious human rights abuses, including rape and forced evictions; whereas impunity for human rights abuses by state and non-state actors remain a norm in Somalia;
I. whereas since 2007, AMISOM has been mandated to reduce the threat posed by al-Shabab and other extremist groups, to provide security in order to enable the political process at all levels, 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; whereas the political impasse in the country has made it difficult for AMISOM to implement its exit plan; whereas AMISOM’s mission mandate expires on 31 December 2021 and a plan to progressively transfer security responsibility from AMISOM to Somali Security Forces is slowly advancing;
J. Whereas CSDP operations EUTM, EUCAP and Operation ATALANTA play an important role in providing security and stability to Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa;
K. whereas on 15 November 2021, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2607 (2021), which renews the arms embargo on Somalia and the reauthorization of maritime interdiction of illicit weapons imports and charcoal exports; whereas illicit weapons supplied by Iran to the Houthi rebels in Yemen are being smuggled across the Gulf of Aden to Somalia through the Puntland entry point, posing a great threat to Somalia’s security and stability;
1. Welcomes the completion of indirect elections for the Upper House of the Federal Parliament and the start of elections for the lower Chamber, the House of the People; expresses deep concern, however, at the very slow electoral process overall; stresses the need to bring the elections for the Federal Parliament to a successful conclusion by the 24 December, in order for presidential elections to be held as soon as possible;
2. Underlines that any delays in the electoral progress will continue to undermine progress on Somalia’s development and national priorities, increase political uncertainty and provide al-Shabab with the opportunity to regain ground and boost its political influence; stresses that women’s full inclusion in public life is key for Somalia’s peace, stability, development and prosperity;
3. Strongly condemns al-Shabab’s efforts to deliberately disrupt the electoral process in Somalia with its attacks on election centres, indirect fire at AMISOM fortified bases and increased public executions of individuals working with the Somali security forces and AMISOM personnel;
4. Expresses deep concern about the violent clashes between government and opposition-aligned forces and their effects on increased violence in the country as well as its humanitarian consequences;
5. Underscores the need to target al-Shabab’s finances, improve maritime domain awareness, prevent illicit revenue generation including from the sale of charcoal, and reduce the threat posed by improvised explosive devices to the security and stability of Somalia;
6. Supports the EU, Member States and its international partners to remain strongly committed to cooperating with Somalia in building legitimate institutions and a Somali-owned security sector to combat terrorism and provide protection to the Somali population; urges cooperation between different troops in acquiring a strong mutual understanding in combatting Islamist insurgencies in Somalia;
7. Urges all actors in Somalia to abide by the objectives of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict;
8. Welcomes advances made in the transfer of security responsibility from AMISOM to the Somali Security Forces; reminds that AMISOM’s withdrawal may not revert the Somali national security forces to clan-specific militias; calls for discussions on the new mission to be concluded as a matter of urgency, specifically concerning enhanced coordination and cooperation, complementary approaches, sustained information sharing and funding;
9. Strongly condemns the smuggling of Iranian weapons supplied to the Houthis in Yemen through the Gulf of Aden to Somalia; reminds all parties of the continued arms embargo adopted by the UN Security Council on Somalia and the reauthorization of the maritime interdiction of illicit weapons imports and charcoal exports; deplores that China and the Russian Federation abstained on UN Security Council Resolution 2607 (2021);
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EEAS, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the President and Prime Minister of Somalia, and Members of the Somali Parliament.