Explanation of Vote by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d'Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Somalia.
The United Kingdom welcomes the unanimous adoption of this resolution.
We thank all Council members for their constructive approach to negotiations, which enabled us to arrive at this consensus outcome.
The resolution we have adopted today mandates a strong package of measures to degrade Al-Shabaab, including constraining its access to arms, disrupting its finances, and supporting Somalia to enhance its capabilities.
This resolution also sets out a responsible pathway towards appropriate changes to the arms embargo in the future, ensuring the regime can continue evolving to effectively counter the threat from Al-Shabaab.
And this resolution recognises the continuing threat posed by terrorist groups intent on undermining the security and prosperity of Somalia and the region.
We welcome the ongoing campaign against the Islamic State in Somalia, and urge Council members to work closer together on efforts to degrade them.
We also remain concerned about links between Al-Shabaab and the Houthis in Yemen, which represent a significant threat to the stability of Somalia and the region.
We encourage the 2713 and 2140 sanctions committees to coordinate closely on monitoring and countering this threat.
We now turn our attention to the AUSSOM mandate, where we look forward to maintaining our close collaboration with Somalia and all other Council members as we work to continue driving forward the security transition in Somalia.
