The Security Council has one more time extended the arms embargo on Somalia until 15 November 2017, while reaffirming that country’s sovereignty over its natural resources.
Adopting resolution 2317 (2016) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter – by a vote of 10 in favor none against, with 5 -abstentions (Angola, China, Egypt, Russian Federation, Venezuela) – the Council also extended the mandate of the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group until 15 December 2017.
By terms of the text, the Council underlined the need for Member States to follow strictly the notification procedures for providing the assistance needed to develop Somalia’s security sector institutions, and urged increased cooperation by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in documenting and registering all military equipment captured as part of offensive operations.
Kenya: Cord Leaders Call on Uhuru to Withdraw KDF from Somalia
Leaders from the Cord Coalition call on President Uhuru Kenyatta to withdraw Kenyan soldiers from Somalia after the United Nations report that linked the troops to illegal charcoal sale from the country.
Speaking to the Nation over the phone, ODM’s National Chair John Mbadi accused President Kenyatta of rushing to withdraw Kenyan troops from South Sudan following the sacking of the Kenyan commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan Lt-Gen Johnson Ondieki but doing nothing to call back home those doing illicit business in Somalia.
Also, Eseli Simiyu, Cord Management Committee Chair, stated that the best action for Kenya is to withdraw from Somalia and station our troops at the Kenya-Somalia border.
Pentagon Admits its Air Strike Killed Allies in Central Somalia
The US has admitted that the air strike that it carried out in September killed allied forces from Galmudug regional state of Somalia. The US said earlier that it carried out the September strike to protect Puntland forces who came under fire during an operation against al-Shabaab militants.
BBC reports that an unnamed US military official was reported stating that if we had known who they were, we would have done everything we could to prevent it.
Despite this unfortunate incident, the US is the main military support provider to Somalia in its fight against al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, which is waging an armed insurgency in the country.
Analysis
Prospect of Offshore Oil: A Mixed Blessing for Somalia
According to this analysis, Somalia looks more likely to strike oil than gas in its long pursuit of offshore riches, making it easier to exploit any windfall but also potentially upsetting the fragile recovery led by its Western-backed government.
“It is very prospective,” Neil Hodgson, vice president for geo-science at Spectrum, told Reuters, adding that Somalia’s source rock was similar to that found in Mozambique and Tanzania but the deposits were not as deep, suggesting oil over gas. Abdulkadir Hussein, technical director-general in Somalia’s Petroleum Ministry, said a new majority-state owned national oil company and regulatory body should be operational next year.
Jamal Mursal, the Somali Oil Ministry’s permanent secretary, said Somalia was working to build capacity to handle the new industry. “We have more to do but [we] are getting there,” he said. Also, the permanent secretary underlined that shallow water block concessions signed in 1988 by Shell and Exxon Mobil are excluded from the new bid round.
Center for Policy
