President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

Thank you for inviting the EU to speak at this high-level event. We welcome today’s initiative by the UN and the AU to raise awareness about the funding shortfalls of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

I will focus my intervention first on the EU’s contributions to Somalia’s security sector, including through ATMIS, then on the security challenges that remain and finally on outstanding issues concerning ATMIS’ drawdown.

But at the outset, I want to reiterate our deep gratitude to the brave Somalis who are engaging in the fight against al-Shabaab. Likewise, I pay tribute to the Troop Contributing Countries of ATMIS, and especially to their brave women and men, who have served and continue to serve the Somali people. Many have paid the ultimate price. This sacrifice has to be acknowledged.

[the EU’s contributions to Somalia’s security sector:]

The EU has invested heavily in bringing security to Somalia, fully in line with our integrated approach, the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Somalia Transition Plan. We have supported the African Union led missions for fifteen years, investing over EUR 2.5 billion. We also have three EU peace and security missions deployed to Somalia and have supported the Somali National Army and Police with EUR 77 million under various instruments. This support to the security sector is complemented by other EU development cooperation efforts within the 2021-2027 Multiannual Indicative Programme.

The EU remains committed to supporting UN and AU stabilisation efforts in the region as well as the continued security presence of ATMIS. To this end, we are providing EUR 85 million to support the military component in 2023 under the European Peace Facility and a further EUR 33 million to the civilian and police components in 2023 and 2024.

Earlier this month, on top of the EU’s support for ATMIS, the EU approved an additional support of EUR 25 million for the Somali National Army (SNA). Both actions aim at contributing to the handover of security responsibilities from ATMIS to the SNA, by allowing the former to fulfil its mandate while strengthening the capacities of the latter, in close conjunction with the European Union Training Mission. Efforts to secure complementary funding from other partners should be pursued.

[Somalia’s remaining security challenges:]

Somalia continues to face daunting security challenges that have wide ramifications. Al-Shabaab has become the richest and strongest global franchise of al-Qaeda, threatening peace and security as well as humanitarian efforts throughout the Horn of Africa. Recent deadly incidents, al-Shabaab’s continued control of large swaths of Somalian territory and its alarming operational and financial capacity are major issues of continued concern.

We note that the mobilization of local militias in central Somalia against al-Shabaab continues. We also note with cautious optimism the progress of operations now led by the Somali National Army. However, we are concerned by the relative absence of ATMIS in these offensive operations, and the delays in deploying the new force commander. We also stress the importance of joint planning and information sharing between Somalia and ATMIS.

[outstanding issues concerning ATMIS’ drawdown:]

Looking now at ATMIS’s drawdown, we are further concerned about the lack of progress in the security transition from ATMIS as well as its reconfiguration and drawdown plans. We look forward to the AU and ATMIS delivering on their mandated tasks as well as in coordinating and planning efforts with the Federal Government of Somalia in line with the requirements outlined in UNSCR 2628.

Furthermore, clarity is needed on the composition of the ATMIS troops being considered for the drawdown, based on an assessment of where forces are most needed. As ATMIS draws down, Somali troops have to take over. This does not only mean generating more troops, but requires developing a clear overview of the troops available – at the federal level and in the Federal Member States –and a clear vision for the future of the Somali Armed Forces. The only exit strategy for ATMIS is to support the Somali security sector. We welcome the agreement reached last week in Baidoa by the National Consultative Council to increase the Somali National Army troops to 30.000 and the police force to 40.000. We urge the Somali government to provide further clarity on the Somalia Transition Plan, the National Security Architecture and force generation mechanisms.

Resolution 2628 is supposed to signal change. It places the Somalis in the lead for this transition and in the fight against al-Shabaab. Somali leadership is essential and we welcome the Government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s commitment to fight al-Shabaab militarily, financially and ideologically.

Yet we have to acknowledge that the root causes of instability in Somalia remain unresolved. Somalia must now make progress to strengthen institutions, ensure service delivery and build the social contract between citizens and state. I encourage the Somali leadership to come together and deliver on the finalization of the Constitution. It is time to move away from ad hoc decision-making processes.

This is even more urgent as the worst drought in four decades is ravaging Somalia, leaving over two hundred thousand people at immediate risk of starvation.

[President]

In closing, I want to reiterate the full support of the EU to the implementation of the UNSCR 2628 towards a full handover of security responsibility to the Somali security forces and institutions by the end of 2024. We are doing our part in ensuring predictable and sustainable funding for ATMIS. And we are also committed to continue to support African-led Peace Support Operations and the ongoing discussions to use UN assessed contributions for operations authorised by the Security Council.  

Al-Shabaab is a multi-layered threat and can only be successfully engaged through a comprehensive approach. Now is the time to stand together with our Somali partners, Troop Contributing Countries, the African Union, IGAD, the United Nations and all other countries and entities to tackle this challenge. Strong cooperation is crucial at this time. But we all need to do our part.

Thank you.