AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE

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1 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Statement by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Ambassador Maman S. Sidikou at the Chatham House Discussion on Securing Stability in Somalia: AMISOM;s Evolving Role and Regional Implications at Chatham House, London, United Kingdom on 1 April, 2015

2 Good evening ladies and gentlemen. And thank you for this opportunity to exchange views on Somalia with you today, and particularly around the topic: Securing stability in Somalia: AMISOM s evolving role and regional implications. Ladies and gentlemen, It is an open secret that, together with our Somali colleagues in the Somali National Army, and with the support of the international community, we have increasingly created a relatively secure country out of a very difficult situation. We have recently also contributed in creating an enabling environment to facilitate political development in the country. Having said this, ladies and gentlemen, the challenge is about building on these gains so that we can strengthen the foundations for sustainable peace and stability in Somalia.

3 Ladies and gentlemen, the challenges are many but I will focus on three critical ones and then I will discuss how AMISOM is adapting to the changing landscape, so we can contribute to addressing these challenges. Let me underline here and now that AMISOM cannot remain in Somalia indefinitely. We have an exit strategy and this is hinged on supporting our Somali brothers and sisters to assume primary responsibility for their country, their present and their future. This is the first and most important issue. Assuming primary responsibility for their present and their future requires that, amongst others, that they can guarantee the safety and security of the citizenry so that the Somali people can live in safe and secure country. This responsibility is shared one, between the government and the people. On the part of the government, let me emphasize the critical need for a clear policy direction regarding the form

4 and shape of security institutions required for Somalia in this time of her history. Do we need a military that is reminiscent of the past? Do we need a military that responds to Somalia s present and can meet the envisaged challenges of the future? What about the regional implications? I do not have a single, simple answer. Ladies and gentlemen, several conferences, including the most recent one held last August here in London, have been held to discuss this matter. Many plans have come out of these conferences. Many partners continue to provide basic and specialist trainings as well as equipment and salaries for the Somali security institutions. But the answers is: until Somalis determine that it is for them to build, equip and maintain a well-motivated and a truly national army whose allegiance is to country and not

5 to any particular clan or region, then we will continue to struggle to secure Somalia s stability. Having said that, I would like to use this forum to reiterate the African Union s appreciation to all those partners who continue to support the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in standing up a reliable National Army and Police, with effective command and control. As we all know, these two instituons are in desperate need of fresh blood, perhaps educated and de-tribalized Somalis both from within the country and from the diaspora. This is one part of the responsiility that every young Somali woman and man listening to me this evening has would you consider contributing in one way or another, including signing up for service and utilizing your education, training, expertise and skills in a new Somali national army and police? It is about Somalia s future and that future belongs to the Somali youth.

6 On our part, the international community must necessarily, at this point in time, step up to the occasion and inject much needed resourcses for infrastructural developments (barracks, offices, hospitals, training schools) and immediate sustenance for the new crop of the Somali National Army and Police. Ladies and gentlemen, the second challenge is for Somalis to rise above those factors that tend to divide them and to resolve their differences through dialogue, rather than by the use of force. The ongoing political processes, including the formation of interim regional administrations for the envisaged federal states, the adoption of a federal constitution and the conduct of elections by October 2016 will test both the resolve and determination of the Somali political class to chart a new political path for the country. On the 2016 elections, the Somali political leadership continues to reiterate its commitment to the holding of elections in 2016 and the recent passing of the necessary electoral legislations as well as the formation of political parties are encouraging.

7 The challenge however remains the form and shape that the elections will take. While we are all looking forward to the outcomes of the forthcoming Electoral Assessment Mission, we are observing with keen interest the activities of political groups in the country which might signal a move towards an electoral contest based on political party, rather than clan or regional affiliations, in Ladies and gentlemen, the process leading up to the elections in 2016 (including how inclusive they are), the outcome of the process and most importantly, the manner in which all actors, including the region, respond to the outcomes may determine the depth and strength of what will become the foundations for a new Somalia, a country that should not only be at peace with itself but with its neighbours in particular and the larger global community. Clearly, it is important for Somalia to emerge out of this process as a more secure country with growing national state institutions, especially a national army and police that should be preparing to take full responsibility from AMISOM.

8 A political leadership that has a strong commitment to, and respect for, the rule of law and its institutions can also begin to emerge and this is critical. Like I have observed in other forums, Somalia, the region and indeed the world cannot afford to herald in a new Somalia without the necessary state security institutions that can effectively tackle any domestic threats which will invariable impact on its neighbours. Given the regional dynamics and regional implications at stake, certainly one can imagine Somalia s neighbours intervening to both safeguard their individual and national security interests. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me now talk about how AMISOM is adapting to the evolving landscape in Somalia especially in this stabilization and early recovery phase in our mandate implementation. At the start of this year, following consultations with the FGS, we developed a new set of priorities which AMISOM is now dedicating our resources to supporting the government.

9 These priority areas include: Providing support to the ongoing political processes that will lead to the elections in 2016; Providing support to efforts at reforming the security sector with a view to rebuilding the Somali National Army and Police; Providing support to the government in stabilization and early recovery actions in the areas liberated from Al Shabaab; Facilitating access to the areas recovered from Al Shabaab with a view to enabling the humanitarian actors reach these places with much needed assistance whilst also enabling the communities engage in socio-economic activities, and; Ensuring that Human Rights and Gender considerations are mainstreamed in all our work.

10 We have therefore reorganized the mission along thematic working groups to realise each of those priorities with resources from the civilian, police and military components of AMISOM. In the meantime, in the next couple of weeks, the United Nations and the African Union will be fielding a joint benchmarking mission to determine the timelines for the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Somalia. It is our expectations that the exercise will provide a proper assessment of AMISOM and the Somali national defence and security institutions so that we can make proposals to the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council on the required measures to: (i) reconfigure AMISOM with a view to optimizing the mission through the deployment of specialist and expert resources (formed police units, correctional services personnel, military engineers, uniformed medics, civil military coordination officers, etc.) and enablers (intelligence, psychological operations, public information)

11 (ii) providing enhanced support to the Somali National Army and Somali Police Force (iii) further deployment of civilian personnel in the sectors to support stabilization and early recovery efforts, and (iv) ensuring a more efficient delivery of an enhanced logistical support to AMISOM by UNSOA, and this requires a more creative mechanism, including a review of the applicable Security Council and General Assembly legislative and administrative guidelines which responds to the specific context of Somalia and the operational realities of AMISOM. Ladies and gentlemen, the third and last factor, in my humble opinion, in ensuring the stability of security in Somalia is the most important one. It is the most important one because it is ultimately about the Somali person. We urgently need to provide the necessary support to the populations in the areas we have recovered from Al Shabaab.

12 The government needs our support to facilitate grassroots reconciliation, establish local security, rule of law and governance mechanisms in place of those put in place by Al Shabaab and to provide social welfare services especially basic healthcare, water and education. I will not dwell a lot on this because what our Somali brothers and sisters in these recovered areas deserve are just the normal, basic human needs which we, the Somali government, AMISOM and the international community, have an obligation to provide to them if we are to demonstrate, tangibly, the utility of governance rather than the tyranny of Al Shabaab. Let me stop here ladies and gentlemen so that we can exchange views. I thank you for your kind attention.