Hiiraan Online
Thursday August 29, 2019
MOGADISHU (HOL) -Somalia has hailed the move by the UN Security Council to block a proposal by Kenya to list Al-Shabaab as a global terrorist organisation.
Somalia’s permanent representative to the UN Abukar Osman said in a tweet following the UN Security Council decision Kenya had other avenues to counter Al-Shabaab instead of seeking a listing by the Security Council.
“Commend Council members for rejecting the unjustified listing of AS to 1267 and urge Kenyan Government to implement existing SC res. “751 targeting AS, including the ban of illegal charcoal trade in Somalia, which is the lifeline of the AS to finance its operations in the region,” ambassador Osman tweeted.
The Security Council’s move to block the proposal by Nairobi follows sustained campaigned against the proposal by former US diplomats and aid agencies which warned the listing of Al-Shabaab could impact on humanitarian efforts and further subject Somalis to suffering.Kenyan troops serving in sector two which includes Kismayu under the AMISOM configuration have been sighted in various reports including UN Monitoring Group of facilitating charcoal trade which is a major revenue source for Al-Shabaab- the same group it is mandated to fight in Somalia.
Should the Kenyan proposal have gone through, the UN Security Council would authorise international sanctions including asset freezes, travel bans against groups or individuals suspecting of financing Al-Shabaab.
There were fears of Somali businesses especially in Kenya being unfairly targeted by Kenyan authorities.