UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council on Thursday extended a UN mission in Somalia for one more year in order to continue providing "good offices" in the country's peace and reconciliation process.
In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member Council commended the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) for its first 12 months of operation and decided to "extend UNSOM' s mandate for a period of 12 months."
According to the resolution, the mandate of UNSOM includes providing United Nations "good offices" functions in support of peace and reconciliation; providing advice on peace- and state- building; coordination of international donor support; government capacity building on human rights; and human rights monitoring and reporting.
The Security Council "stresses the importance it attaches to UNSOM working with the federal government of Somalia in supporting the government's stabilization efforts and coordinating international assistance, in particular in areas recovered from Al- Shabaab," said the resolution.
The Council also condemned "in the strongest terms" recent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the region, underlined the importance of holding perpetrators to account. and reiterated that terrorist attacks will not lessen its resolve to support the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia.
Expressing "deep concern" about the humanitarian situation as well as the reports of human rights violations in the country, the Council members also urged the Somali government to ensure that all perpetrators of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws are held accountable.
On May 2, 2013, the Security Council unanimously voted to establish a new UN Assistance Mission to be based in the national capital of Mogadishu. The mandate of this political mission began on June 3.
Somalia has been torn asunder by factional fighting since 1991 but has recently made progress towards stability. In 2012, new government institutions emerged as the country ended a transitional phase and will hold national elections in 2016.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-linked Islamic militant group which was driven out of much of southern and central Somalia, has been launching terror attacks in the government-controlled areas.
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