United Nations S/PV.

9872
Security Council Provisional
Eightieth year

9872nd meeting
Monday, 3 March 2025, 3 p.m.
New York

President: Ms. Lassen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Denmark)

Members: Algeria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Yahiaoui

China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Chen Yongchao
France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Dharmadhikari
Greece. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Sekeris
Guyana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Rodrigues-Birkett
Pakistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Jadoon
Panama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Moscoso
Republic of Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Cho
Russian Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ms. Evstigneeva
Sierra Leone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ms. Karim
Slovenia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Blokar Drobič
Somalia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Mohamed
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . . . Dame Barbara Woodward
United States of America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Kelley

Agenda
Peace and security in Africa

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches
delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security
Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be
incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation co
ncerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room AB-0928 ([email protected]).
Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of
the United Nations (http://documents.un.org).

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The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m.

Expression of thanks to the outgoing President

The President: I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf
of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China,
for his service as President of the Council for the month of February. I am sure I
speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador
Fu Cong and his team for the great diplomatic skill with which they conducted the
Council’s business last month.

Adoption of the agenda

The agenda was adopted.

Peace and security in Africa

The President: The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the
item on its agenda.
Members of the Council have before them document S/2025/131, which contains
the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland.
The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I
shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

A vote was taken by show of hands.

In favour:
Algeria, China, Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, Republic
of Korea, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America
The President: The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft
resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2776 (2025).
I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to
make statements.
Dame Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom): I welcome you, Madam, to
the presidency.
The unanimous adoption of resolution 2776 (2025) today sends a clear message,
namely, that the Council is united in its determination to support Somalia’s efforts
in the fight against Al-Shabaab. This resolution retains a powerful package of
sanctions designed to further degrade Al-Shabaab, disrupt its finances, strengthen
international collaboration and support Somalia in building its own capabilities. And
it again demonstrates the Council’s commitment to continue working with Somalia to
ensure that those measures are adjusted progressively and appropriately in response
to the evolving security context.
This was also the first Council resolution on this regime that we negotiated with
Somalia as a fellow member of the Security Council. We welcome the constructive
approach that all Council members took across the negotiations, which enabled us
to arrive at this consensus outcome. And we look forward to continuing our close
engagement with Somalia, with Council members and with the region across the
many vital upcoming Council decisions on Somalia this year.
Finally, the resolution we adopted today also recognizes the particular concern
posed by flows of weapons from Yemen to Somalia. Al-Shabaab’s links to the Houthis

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are part of a wider pattern of Houthi destabilizing activity beyond Yemen’s borders.
The Sanctions Committees under resolutions 2713 (2023) and 2140 (2014) should
coordinate closely to monitor and counter that trend. And we call on all Council
members to work collectively to tackle those links, which represent a significant risk
to the stability of Somalia and the region.
Mrs. Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana): I have the honour to deliver this statement
on behalf of the three African Member States on the Security Council — Algeria,
Sierra Leone and Somalia — as well as my own country, Guyana (A3+).
At the outset, the A3+ extends its congratulations to Denmark on its assumption
of the presidency of the Council for the month of March. We pledge our full support
to your delegation, Madam, in the execution of that important function.
Allow me to also express appreciation to the delegation of the United Kingdom
for ably facilitating the negotiation of the resolution just adopted (resolution 2776
(2025)). The A3+ is grateful to all delegations for their constructive and valuable
inputs throughout the process. As the Federal Government of Somalia continues its
efforts to degrade the threat posed by Al-Shabaab to Somalia and the region, the
support of the international community remains critical. We therefore welcome the
unanimous support for resolution 2776 (2025).
The A3+ supported resolution 2776 (2025), which renews the Al-Shabaab
sanctions regime and extends the mandate of the Panel of Experts, because we
continue to ascribe importance to those elements in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
Nonetheless, our position is that the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime should be
comprehensively assessed to determine its fitness to support the efforts of the
Federal Government of Somalia in combating the threat posed by Al-Shabaab, given
the continuing evolution of the security situation in Somalia.
While we regret that our proposal to that end was not fully taken onboard, the
A3+ engaged constructively on the text. In that regard, we welcome the mandate
given to the Secretary-General to conduct a technical assessment of the arms
embargo targeting Al-Shabaab and to report to the Council on that by 1 November.
We also welcome the Council’s intention to review the appropriateness of the
measures comprising the sanctions regime with a view to taking appropriate action
as necessary, once the Secretary-General’s report is received. We urge the Council’s
continued support and attention to the priorities identified by the Federal Government
of Somalia during that review.
The A3+ underscores the importance of implementing measures to degrade
the threat posed by Al-Shabaab. The Federal Government of Somalia continues
to demonstrate its commitment to that end, and we acknowledge in particular
the important role of Somalia’s Central Monitoring Department in weapons and
ammunition management. In that context, we urge Member States to enhance their
compliance with existing sanctions measures and support the efforts of the Federal
Government of Somalia aimed at curbing the illicit flow of weapons to Al-Shabaab.
The A3+ acknowledges that degrading the threat requires a multifaceted
approach, which includes disrupting the group’s finances and reducing the threat
posed by improvised explosive devices. We commend the gains made by the Federal
Government of Somalia in that regard and urge continued international collaboration
and support to build on those gains.
Allow me to conclude by underscoring the commitment of the A3+ to working
with all Council members in the months ahead to examine the Al-Shabaab sanctions
regime with a view to ensuring that it is effectively supporting the efforts of the
Federal Government of Somalia to combat the threat posed by Al-Shabaab.

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Mr. Kelley (United States of America): I would like to thank the members of
the Council for their engagement on resolution 2776 (2025), as well as the United
Kingdom for its assiduous efforts as the penholder.
The United States welcomes the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts
and the renewal of some arms embargo, travel ban and assets-freeze measures. The
renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts provides critical oversight and the
reporting necessary to inform the Al-Shabaab Sanctions Committee and the Council.
We look forward to the swift appointment of the experts so they can begin their
important work.
The Red Sea smuggling routes connecting Somalia-based terrorist groups to
those in Yemen place a premium on international cooperation. We are concerned
by growing ties between Al-Shabaab and the Houthis in particular. We encourage
dialogue between the Yemen and Al-Shabaab sanctions panels and countries in the
Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to shed light on, and ultimately sever,
the ties between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab. Regional dialogue is also needed to
address piracy, weapons trafficking and the illicit activities that fuel terrorism.
If fully implemented by Member States, the measures in this resolution will curb
Al-Shabab’s and other non-State actors’ access to funds and weapons needed to carry
out attacks and address the drivers of conflict in Somalia. They will also ensure that
Somalia’s security and police institutions can receive the needed resources to combat
terrorism and secure the people of Somalia.
We urge our fellow Council members to support additional designations,
including those of Al-Shabaab operatives. In addition to the operational significance,
those designations demonstrate that the international community will promote
accountability and end impunity for those who undermine peace and security
in Somalia and the region. The United States will address the threat posed by
Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups and will continue to work closely with the
Government of Somalia, fellow Council members and all stakeholders to protect our
shared interests.
Ms. Evstigneeva (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): ): I would like to
begin by extending our gratitude to the Chinese delegation for its skillful presidency
of the Security Council during the very tense month of February, and we wish the
delegation of Denmark every success in March.
The Russian Federation supported the resolution on sanctions against the
Al-Shabaab terrorist group prepared by the United Kingdom (resolution 2776 (2025)).
We believe that it is justified to include in the text of the resolution provisions aimed
at strengthening financial controls in Somalia. Such measures are necessary to curb
Al-Shabaab’s resource supply and ability to conduct illegal economic activities.
We are satisfied that the resolution includes elements that meet the aspirations
of the Somali side with regard to the forthcoming revision of the sanctions regime
that has been in effect since January 1992, which is being discussed today. We are
convinced that such a step is long overdue. In that regard, we have consistently
supported the policy of the African troika to decrease the period of extension of the
inspection regime and the mandate of the relevant Panel of Experts in order to be
able to discuss a possible revision of the arms embargo and other parameters as early
as this year. We wish to assure our Somali friends that they can count on our support
in addressing those issues in December.
We welcome the tightening of access to weapons by non-State actors, which is
enshrined in the resolution thanks to the efforts of the African troika. In December
2023, we had already noted the flawed wording of resolution 2713 (2023) on an

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automatic exemption from the sanctions regime for the supply of weapons to private
security companies, the names of which are still unknown to us.
We would like to focus on the fact that the preparation of the document did not
take into account our proposal to focus the parameters of the regime exclusively on
countering Al-Shabaab, without introducing elements alien into it. We are convinced
that the Yemeni issue should be considered separately. All opportunities for doing so
are available within the framework of the regime established in accordance with the
resolution 2140 (2014).
We do not see convincing evidence about the hypothesis of an alleged systematic
flow of weapons between Yemen and Somalia in the materials submitted by the
relevant Panel of Experts. Other delegations share those concerns. That strongly
suggests that the appearance of that paragraph has nothing to do with assistance to
Somalia. On the contrary, we are talking about the desire of an individual member
of the Security Council to politicize this issue for many years to come, thereby
implementing its interests in the adjacent region through a resolution on countering
Al-Shabaab via the hands of the informal curators of the dossier. Such a policy
towards Somalia is simply irresponsible.
We would also like to note the significant contribution of African delegations
and of Guyana in the preparation of the document. We are convinced that the
Council should listen more carefully to the position of African States, especially
when determining the parameters of the sanctions regimes applied against terrorists
operating on their territory.
Mr. Dharmadhikari (France) (spoke in French): First of all, Madam President,
I congratulate you on your presidency in the month of March and thank the United
Kingdom for its work, which made it possible to achieve the Council’s unanimous
renewal of the sanctions regime against Al-Shabaab.
The adoption of resolution2776 (2025) attests to the support for the Government
of Somalia’s efforts and those of its bilateral and multilateral partners in combating
Al-Shabaab, which is a threat to peace and security not just in Somalia but also an
entire region already weakened by various crises and conflicts.
France welcomes the renewal of the sanctions regime for one year from the date of
the adoption of resolution 2762 (2024), which provided for a brief technical rollover.
France stands ready to continue to work with all members of the Council to ensure
the full effectiveness of this regime, in support of the efforts of the Government of
the Federal Republic of Somalia to combat Al-Shabaab.
France remains concerned about the flow of arms and ammunition from Yemen
to Somalia, in violation of the arms embargo on Al-Shabaab. It is essential to prevent
Al-Shabaab from building and exploiting relationships with sanctioned groups in the
region, including the Houthis.
Mr. Jadoon (Pakistan): I extend to you, Madam President, my warmest
congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council
following China’s sterling stint last month. Please rest assured of our delegation’s
full support and cooperation.
Pakistan voted in favour of resolution 2776 (2025). We greatly appreciate the
efforts undertaken by the United Kingdom to garner consensus on the resolution,
thereby facilitating its unanimous adoption. Pakistan supports Somalia’s sovereignty,
independence and territorial integrity.
Al-Shabaab continues to pose a significant threat to peace and security in
Somalia and the region. The presence of affiliate terrorist elements linked to the
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levan/Da’esh is equally worrisome. Notwithstanding

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the recent successes against Al-Shabaab achieved by Somali forces, supported by

the African Union (AU) and United Nations mission, we cannot afford to let down
our guard.
I would like to make the following three points.
First, we believe that the AU’s sustained engagement with Somalia augurs well
for peace and stability in the region. The new AU support and stabilization mission
in Somalia needs sustainable and predictable financial support for its operations to
protect gains made against Al-Shabaab.
Secondly, fighting the scourge of terrorism will require a united regional and
global effort. Pakistan stands ready to share its counter-terrorism experience and
expertise with our African partners and to provide capacity-building in that regard.
Lastly, Al-Shabab’s ability to radicalize, recruit, raise funds via extortion and
piracy and procure weapons must be disrupted. Continued humanitarian assistance
and support for the economic development of Somalia is vital to addressing the root
causes of terrorism.
Let me conclude by recalling that Pakistan enjoys close and fraternal ties with
Somalia and will continue to support our brethren both as a member of the Security
Council and bilaterally.
The meeting rose at 3.20 p.m.

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