Pakistan backs renewal of sanctions on Somalia’s Al-Shabaab

UNITED NATIONS: Noting the recent successes against Al-Shabaab achieved by the Somalian forces with the support of the African Union-United Nations (AU-UN) Missions, Pakistan has cautioned against letting the guard down, pointing to Al-Shabaab’s significant threat to peace and security in Somalia and the region.

Delivering a statement to explain why Pakistan voted in favor of the resolution calling for the renewal of Sanctions Regime 2713 targeting Al-Shabaab, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, stated that African Union’s sustained engagement with Somalia augurs well for peace and stability in the region. 

He said that the new AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) needs sustainable and predictable financial support for its operations to preserve gains made against Al-Shabaab. 

The Pakistan Deputy UN envoy underlined the need for united regional and global efforts against terrorism and expressed Pakistan’s readiness to share its valuable counter-terrorism experience with our African partners and provide capacity-building in this regard.

He said that it is vital to disrupt Al-Shabaab’s ability to radicalize, recruit, raise funds via extortion and piracy, as well as procurement of weapons. 

“Continued humanitarian assistance and support is vital for economic development to address the root causes of terrorism,” he added.

Ambassador Jadoon said that Pakistan enjoys close and fraternal ties with Somalia and will continue to support our brethren both as a Member of the Security Council and bilaterally as well. 

He appreciated the efforts undertaken by the UK to garner consensus on the draft resolution and facilitating its unanimous adoption.

Comments are closed.