MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Humanitarian leaders and former US diplomats warned Kenya’s move to seek UN support for sanctions on al-Shabaab could be bar relief efforts in Somalia.
In a joint letter addressed to Trump administration, the group said Kenya proposal could exacerbate the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia and put millions at grave risk.
The 16 signatories of letters urging the United States to block Kenya’s bid at the UN Security Council saying the move could cripple life-saving relief efforts in Somalia.
“We are deeply concerned by a Kenyan government proposal to include al-Shabaab in the separate UN sanctions regime applicable to al-Qaeda, ISIL and their affiliates, which does not provide the same type of exemption for humanitarian assistance,” the critics wrote.
They noted that al-Shabaab is already included in a different UN sanctions programme that provides an exemption for humanitarian aid.
“The proposal would put the lives of hundreds of thousands at risk without discernible impact on the challenge posed by al-Shabaab,” said Eric Schwartz, the head of the Refugees International NGO and one of the signers of the letter.
The letter points out that the existing set of UN sanctions on Somalia includes “a carefully administered (and US-initiated) Security Council exemption [that] has facilitated the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in dire need.”
Kenya’s bid to impose UN sanction on al-Shabaab has been to the United Nations and waits for UN security council to debate on it.
The proposal will not be approved if even one member of the 15-nation UN Security Council formally objects to it.
Al-Shabaab which was formed more than a decade ago has been carrying out deadly attacks in Somalia as well as the neighbouring countries.
The group now weakened by Somali military backed by troops from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
It only controls few town and remote villages and many of its fighters surrendered to the government.
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