Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Thursday that the international community must continue to provide security assistance to Somalia.
He said in an explanation of vote after the Security Council approved a resolution to endorse the reconfiguration of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia into the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, that the security situation in Somalia remains challenging, and that the international community must continue to support Somalia on the security front (ATMIS).
During its 15-year deployment in Somalia, the African Union peacekeeping mission has made a significant contribution to the country’s security and stability, according to Dai.
Somalia, the African Union, the United Nations, and other stakeholders agreed on the reconfiguration of the mission after extensive consultations. China supports the Security Council’s development of an ATMIS mandate and hopes that all parties involved will improve coordination in the implementation of the ATMIS mandate and collaborate closely with the Somali government to help it gradually assume primary responsibility for national security, he said.
The Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday endorsing the reconfiguration of the African Union mission in Somalia as well as the phased withdrawal of uniformed personnel.