16 Oct 2012

UN / SOMALIA

The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), Augustine P. Mahiga, today (16 October) told a Security Council meeting onSomalia that the fall of port city ofKismayo, "the last stronghold of the extremist al-Shabaab insurgents in late September, marked a decisive turning point in the conflict." UNTV

Posted at: October 16, 2012 4:54 pm

Duration: 02:22

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STORY: UN / SOMALIA
TRT: 2.22
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 16 OCTOBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1.	Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

16 OCTOBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2.	Wide shot, Security Council
3.	Med shot, delegates
4.	SOUNDBITE (English) Augustine P. Mahiga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia:
"The fall of Kismayo, the last stronghold of the extremist al-Shabaab insurgents in late September, marked a decisive turning point in the conflict. The challenge now is to align the security and political strategies in Kismayo as part of the overall stated stabilization strategy in the newly recovered areas."
5.	Med shot, delegates
6.	SOUNDBITE (English) Augustine P. Mahiga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia:
"It is also essential that AMISOM is supported to control more effectively the coastal waters around Mogadishu, Merca, Baraawe and Kismayo, in order to protect its own forces, supply lines, interrupt al-Shabaab supply lines and effectively secure the port for commercial use, including containing the trade in charcoal."
7.	Med shot, delegates
8.	SOUNDBITE (English) Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs of India:
"We also support the expansion of the logistic support package to cover the deployment of additional civilian personnel and to include naval assets for the COE reimbursement. The latter is crucial to safeguard the supply routes of AMISOM and to prevent al-Shabaab from benefitting from illegal maritime trade and piracy."
9.	Med shot, delegates
10.	SOUNDBITE (English) Elmi Ahmed Duale, Permanent Representative of the Somali Republic to the United Nations:
"It is now very clear that the new federal government urgently needs tangible, concerted, well coordinated support from Security Council, all UN bodies, and the international community to enable and empower the new government in implementing and achieving the end goals of the six pillar policy. Furthermore, Mr. President, AMISOM also requires, urgently, the additional support they have been asking for a long time now."
11.	Med shot, delegates
12.	Wide shot, Security Council

STORYLINE:

The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), Augustine P. Mahiga, today (16 October) told a Security Council meeting on Somalia that the fall of port city of Kismayo, "the last stronghold of the extremist al-Shabaab insurgents in late September, marked a decisive turning point in the conflict."

He also supported the request from the African Union troops there for a maritime unit to patrol the coast off Somalia

Mahiga said "the challenge now is to align the security and political strategies in Kismayo as part of the overall stated stabilization strategy in the newly recovered areas."

Briefing the 15-member body via video-conference, Mahiga added that the Somali authorities now urgently need assistance to meet new challenges.

He said it was "essential" that the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) "is supported to control more effectively the coastal waters around Mogadishu, Merca, Baraawe and Kismayo, in order to protect its own forces, supply lines, interrupt al-Shabaab supply lines and effectively secure the port for commercial use, including containing the trade in charcoal."

Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs of India, also highlighted the importance of a naval component.

In her address to the Council, Kaur said this was "crucial to safeguard the supply routes of AMISOM and to prevent al-Shabaab from benefitting from illegal maritime trade and piracy."

Ambassador Elmi Ahmed Duale of Somalia told the Council it was now "very clear that the new federal government urgently needs tangible, concerted, well coordinated support from Security Council, all UN bodies, and the international community to enable and empower the new government in implementing and achieving the end goals of the six pillar policy."

Furthermore, he added, "AMISOM also requires, urgently, the additional support they have been asking for a long time now."

The war-torn Horn of Africa nation now has a new Constitution, a new Parliament and new elected Speaker and President. Earlier this month, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud appointed Abdi Farah Shirdon as the new Prime Minister. Once confirmed, Mr. Shirdon will form the country's first post-transition Government.

The African Union (AU) has informed the Council that, working together with the UN, it intends to undertake a thorough assessment of AMISOM and how best it can contribute to the stabilization of Somalia in light of the gains made on the ground and the challenges ahead. This process is expected to start in the next few weeks and to be concluded in the coming months.

In the meantime, the AU has requested that the Council authorize a technical rollover of the current support package for AMISOM for four additional months, until February 2013, with some slight adjustments "to take into account pressing issues on the ground," according to a letter before the Council.

This includes requests for the deployment of an additional 50 civilian personnel across the Mission area, as well as a maritime component.

Filed under AMISOM SOMALIA UNPOS.