Tuesday, October 30, 2012
BY DOMINIC WABALA
THE Somalia government has disagreed with the African Union on whether four million bags of charcoal stockpiled in Kismayu should be exported despite a UN Security Council export ban.
Last week on Thursday, October 25, Amisom petitioned the AU on behalf of Kismayu businessmen. An AU meeting in Addis Ababa was attended by representatives from the Troop Contributing Countries and donors resolved that the Somali government should petition the UN to lift the ban.
The AU meeting was attended United States, UK, France, Sweden, Italy, Norway, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, ,Qatar, UAE, UN and EU. On October 10 Amisom, Somalia National Army, Ras Kamboni Brigade and 170 businessmen met in Kismayu to discuss what to do with the charcoal valued at Sh2 billion ($23.5 million).
The Kismayu meeting requested Amisom to petition UN to lift on charcoal exports for six months to clear out the stock . Amisom had originally argued that the charcoal should be burned as the trade had been linked to al Shabaab. Amisom also wanted assurance that more charcoal would not be produced and passed off as old stock.
UN special representative to Somalia Augustine Mahiga tabled the matter for discussion in Addis.. "Although not on the agenda, the brewing crisis over the ban on sale and trade in charcoal in the Kismayu area was brought to the floor by ambassador Mahiga of the UNPOS. The deliberation recognized the potential danger the ban posed to the relations between Amisom and the citizens of the area and therefore urged for the immediate lifting of the ban. It was however, recommended that the formal request to the UNSC requesting for the lifting of the ban should originate from the President of the Republic of Somalia," stated the minutes of the meeting..
However, the next day President Hassan Sheikh Muhammud insisted in a press statement that Somalia will abide by UN Security Council ban on charcoal exports imposed in February..
"The Somalia government is committed to comply with the UN Security Council Resolution 2036 and calls for the uphold of the ban and stand ready to continue to assist the people of Kismayu. We area taking full responsibility to mobilize humanitarian assistance and the government is in the process of sending ship of aid from the federal government to the people of Kismayu," said presidential spokesman Suldan Farahseed.
He said the government wanted Kismayu harbour and airport facility to be solely open for humanitarian assistance. "Therefore, the charcoal at the port will be stored for the time being so as the government to come up with the best course of action to deal with it in time." he said.
"The government is in the process of forming a task force to make sure and prevent any violations of the charcoal ban,". In late September the Amisom, SNA and Ras Komboni militia took control of Kismayu, a city with 200,000 population from Al Shabaab. The UN is worried that the charcoal revenue could still leak back to al Shabaab.
"Amisom troops have been in control of large areas of Somalia where charcoal business was thriving even before the UN Security Council ban. Why would they be interested in the charcoal now? The charcoal business is the preserve of the Somalis and it is for them to decide what to do," KDF Information officer Colonel Cyrus Oguna told the Star recently
Charcoal from Somalia was exported to Dubai and the Gulf through ports controlled by the al Shabaab, especially the southern ports of Kismayu and Merka.