United Nations Security Council Resolution 2498 – The situation in Somalia

Resolution 2498 (2019)

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions and statements of its President on the situation in Somalia,

Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, and underscoring the importance of working to prevent destabilising effects of regional disputes from spilling over into Somalia,

Expressing its support for the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in their efforts to reconstruct the country, counter the threat of terrorism and tackle the flow of illegal arms and armed groups, further expressing its intention to ensure the arms embargo in this resolution will enable the FGS in the realisation of these objectives, and noting its intention to set out all of the provisions of the arms embargo in this text,

Condemning Al-Shabaab attacks in Somalia and beyond, expressing grave concern that Al-Shabaab continues to pose a serious threat to the peace, security and stability of Somalia and the region, particularly through their increased use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and further expressing grave concern at the continued presence in Somalia of affiliates linked to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL also known as Da’esh),

Reaffirming the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including applicable international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts,

Condemning any flows of weapons and ammunition supplies to and through Somalia in violation of the arms embargo, including when they result in supplies to Al-Shabaab and affiliates linked to ISIL, and when they undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia as a serious threat to peace and stability in the region, and further condemning continued illegal flows of weapons and ammunition from Yemen to Somalia,

Expressing serious concern at reports of increased exploitation of Somalia, by Al-Shabaab and transnational organized crime networks, as a transit and transhipment point for the trade in sub-standard, illicit and dual-use goods and the revenues this trade generates for Al-Shabaab, and further expressing concern at continued reports of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in waters where Somalia has jurisdiction, and encourages the FGS, with support from the international community, to ensure fishing licenses are issued in accordance with the appropriate Somali legislation,

Reiterating the importance of co-operation and coordination between the FGS and the Federal Member States (FMS) and implementation of the National Security Architecture and noting that a successful transition to Somali-led security from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as set out under the Transition Plan is fundamental to the maintenance of peace and stability in the region,

Expressing concern at the continued reports of corruption and diversion of public resources in Somalia, welcoming efforts made by the FGS to reduce corruption including the enactment of the Anti-Corruption Law on 21 September 2019, progress made by the FGS in strengthening public financial management and the positive work of the Financial Reporting Centre, and calling for the FGS to continue its efforts to address corruption and to continue to accelerate the pace of reform,

Expressing serious concern at the humanitarian situation in Somalia, and condemning in the strongest terms any party obstructing the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance, any misappropriation or diversion of any humanitarian funds or supplies, and acts of violence against and harassment of humanitarian workers,

Further expressing serious concern over the widespread nature and persistence of sexual and gender-based violence in Somalia, and encouraging the Somali authorities to further strengthen efforts to address it, including by implementing measures in line with resolution 2467 (2019),

Taking note with appreciation of the final report of the Panel of Experts (the Panel) on Somalia (S/2019/858) and the technical assessment mission report of the Secretary-General (S/2019/616), expressing serious concern that the FGS has not been cooperating with the Panel during the majority of their mandate, welcoming the FGS’s collaboration and active participation with the technical assessment team on their visit, urging the FGS to engage on a way forward which will enable the Security Council to better assess and monitor compliance with the sanctions regime, and recalling that panels of experts operate pursuant to mandates from the Security Council,

Welcoming regional efforts with a view to supporting the normalisation of relations between Eritrea and Djibouti including disputes regarding their shared border, and expressing concern at continuing reports of Djiboutian combatants missing in action,

Determining that the situation in Somalia continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,

Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

Adopted by the Security Council at its 8665th meeting, on 15 November 2019.