[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7770-S7771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TO ENSURE STABILITY IN SOMALIA
Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the
immediate consideration of Calendar No. 588, S. Res. 573.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 573) urging the development of a
comprehensive strategy to ensure stability in Somalia, and
for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign
Relations with an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and
insert in lieu thereof the following:
S. Res. 573
Whereas Somalia has been without a functioning central
government since 1991, resulting in lawlessness and an
increasingly desperate humanitarian situation;
Whereas, despite the return of the internationally
recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to Mogadishu
and ongoing diplomatic efforts through the Djibouti Peace
Process, supported by the United Nations, there has been
little improvement in the governance or stability of southern
and central Somalia, and armed opposition groups continue to
exploit this situation;
Whereas the traditional mediation role played by Somali
elders has been eroded as the dynamics of conflict and the
proliferation of weapons make it difficult to influence
warring parties;
Whereas, since 2007, armed violence has resulted in the
deaths of at least 21,000 people in Somalia and the
displacement of nearly 2,000,000 people, including over
500,000 refugees in Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia, Eritrea,
Djibouti, Tanzania, and Uganda;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that 3,200,000 people,
or 43 percent of the population of Somalia, are in need of
humanitarian assistance and livelihood support to survive;
Whereas the United Nations reports that almost 1,000,000
displaced Somalis in need of aid cannot be reached by United
Nations refugee and food agencies because of growing
insecurity and the threat of kidnappings to staff;
Whereas local humanitarian organizations are trying to meet
the needs of the Somali people by restoring basic social
services in urban and rural communities, which places them on
the front lines of the conflict and make them vulnerable
targets for killings, kidnappings, or being accused of
working for foreign governments;
Whereas al Shabaab, which has been designated as a foreign
terrorist organization by the Department of State, and other
armed groups continue to wage war against the Transitional
Federal Government in Mogadishu and one another to gain
control over territory in Somalia;
[[Page S7771]]
Whereas al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for many
bombings--including suicide attacks--in Mogadishu, as well as
in central and northern Somalia, typically targeting
officials of the Government of Somalia and perceived allies
of the TFG;
Whereas, according to Human Rights Watch, al Shabaab is
subjecting inhabitants of areas under its control in southern
Somalia to executions, cruel punishments, including
amputations and floggings, and repressive social control;
Whereas the human rights situation in Somalia has
dramatically worsened over the past several years with
increased numbers of killings, torture, kidnappings, and
rape;
Whereas the 2009 Department of State Country Terrorism
Report notes that ``Somalia's fragile transitional Federal
government, protracted state of violent instability, its
long, unguarded coastline, porous borders, and proximity to
the Arabian Peninsula, made the country an attractive
location for international terrorists seeking a transit or
launching point for operations in Somalia or elsewhere'';
Whereas the situation in southern and central Somalia,
particularly the activity of al Shabaab, poses direct threats
to the stability of Puntland and Somaliland regions, as well
as the stability of neighboring states and the wider region;
Whereas al Shabaab leaders have stated their intent to
provide recruits and support for al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula in Yemen;
Whereas the Government of Eritrea has provided military and
financial support for armed opposition groups, including al
Shebaab, in part as a proxy front in its continuing tensions
with Ethiopia;
Whereas, according to the most recent report by the United
Nations Somalia Monitoring Group, arms, ammunitions, and
military or dual-use equipment continue to enter Somalia at a
fairly steady rate, in violation of the general and complete
arms embargo imposed in 1992;
Whereas, in July 2009, the Department of State confirmed
that, in addition to other support for the TFG, it had
provided cash to purchase weapons and ammunitions for the
TFG's efforts ``to repel the onslaught of extremist forces
which are intent on destroying the Djibouti peace process'';
Whereas, according to most recent report by the United
Nations Somalia Monitoring Group, ``[d]espite infusions of
foreign training and assistance, government security forces
remain ineffective, disorganized and corrupt -- a composite
of independent militias loyal to senior government officials
and military officers who profit from the business of war and
resist their integration under a single command'';
Whereas, on April 13, 2010, President Barack Obama issued
an executive order to sanction or freeze the assets of
militants who threaten, both directly and indirectly, the
stability of Somalia, as well as individuals involved in
piracy off Somalia's coast;
Whereas, in March 2009, at a hearing of the Committee on
Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate,
Andrew Liepman, Deputy Director of Intelligence at the
National Counterterrorism Center, noted that ``[s]ince 2006,
a number of U.S. citizens [have] traveled to Somalia,
possibly to train in extremist training camps'';
Whereas, in September 2009, at a hearing of the Committee
on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate,
the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Michael
Leiter testified that ``the potential for al-Qaeda operatives
in Somalia to commission Americans to return to the United
States and launch attacks against the Homeland remains of
significant concern'';
Whereas al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the
bombings in Kampala, Uganda on July 11, 2010, which killed 76
people, including one American, and wounded scores of other
people; and
Whereas the extraordinary and ongoing crisis in Somalia has
enormous humanitarian consequences and direct national
security implications for the United States and our allies in
the region: Now therefore be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) acknowledges the urgency of addressing the threats to
United States national security in Somalia and the conditions
that foster those threats;
(2) reaffirms its commitment to stand with all the people
of Somalia who aspire to a future free of terrorism and
violence through advancing political reconciliation and
building legitimate and inclusive governance institutions;
(3) recognizes the difficult, but very important, work
being done by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)
to help secure parts of Mogadishu, and reaffirms its support
for the mission;
(4) calls on the Transitional Federal Government in
Somalia--
(A) to cease immediately any use of child soldiers;
(B) to ensure better accountability and transparency for
all received security assistance;
(C) to renew its commitment to political reconciliation;
and
(D) to take necessary steps toward becoming a more
legitimate and inclusive government in the eyes of the people
of Somalia;
(5) calls on all actors and governments in the region,
particularly the Government of Eritrea, to play a productive
role in helping to bring about peace and stability to
Somalia, including ceasing to provide any financial or
material support to al Shabaab and other armed opposition
groups in Somalia;
(6) welcomes efforts by the President to bring greater
focus and resources toward understanding and monitoring the
situation in Somalia;
(7) urges the President to develop a comprehensive strategy
to ensure that all United States humanitarian, diplomatic,
political, and counterterrorism programs in Somalia and the
wider Horn of Africa are coordinated and making progress
toward the long-term goal of establishing stability, respect
for human rights, and functional, inclusive governance in
Somalia;
(8) urges the President and Secretary of State, as part of
a comprehensive strategy--
(A) to provide greater support for a range of diplomatic
initiatives to engage clan leaders, business leaders, and
civil society leaders in Somalia and the Somali Diaspora in
political reconciliation and consensus-building;
(B) to ensure better oversight, monitoring, and
transparency of all United States security assistance
provided to the TFG;
(C) to increase and strengthen the United States diplomatic
team working on Somalia, including the appointment of a
senior envoy, and to ensure that these officials have the
necessary resources, access, and mandate;
(D) to pursue opportunities for periodic, temporary United
States Government travel to Somalia, consistent with any
security concerns;
(E) to expand and deepen our engagement with the regional
administration of Puntland and other regional administrations
in order to promote good governance, effective law
enforcement, respect for human rights, and stability in these
regions;
(F) to provide additional humanitarian, development, and
security assistance to the region of Somaliland, recognizing
the positive developments in that region with respect to
consolidating multi-party democracy, which was evident in the
recent election there;
(G) to outline punitive measures and incentives that can be
used with the Government of Eritrea to bring a halt to its
financial and material support for armed opposition groups in
Somalia, including steps to improve bilateral relations and
to push for a resolution of Eritrea's border dispute with
Ethiopia consistent with the arbitration decision of the
Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission;
(H) to explore, in consultation with the Secretary of the
Treasury, increased options for pressuring individuals,
governments, and other actors who undertake economic
activities that support al Shabaab and other armed opposition
groups in Somalia; and
(I) to develop, in consultation with the Administrator of
the United States Agency for International Development,
creative and flexible mechanisms for delivering basic
humanitarian and development assistance to the people of
Somalia while minimizing the risk of significant diversion to
armed opposition groups.
Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to; the resolution, as
amended, be agreed to; the committee-reported amendment to the preamble
be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate;
and any statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 573), as amended, was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
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