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under control”. It identified, among others factors contributing to insecurity, the continued
arms flows and powerful independent armed groups outside the control of the TFG,
overall lack of regulatory control of the economy, and lack of control over Somalia’s
borders and coastal waters.
48.
In its resolution 1766 (2007) of 23 July 2007, the Security Council stressed the
obligation of all Member States to comply fully with the measures imposed by resolution
733 (1992), and expressed its intention, in light of the report of the Monitoring Group, to
consider specific action to improve implementation and compliance with the arms
embargo. At the same time, the Security Council decided to extend the mandate of the
Monitoring Group, requesting the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to
re-establish the Group for a further six months. In its resolution 1772 (2007) of 20
August 2007,the Security Council emphasized the continued contribution made to
Somalia’s peace and security by the arms embargo, demanded that all Member States,
in particular those of the region, fully comply with it, and reiterated its intension to
consider urgently ways to strengthen its effectiveness, including through targeted
measures.
49.
On 14 December 2007, the coordinator of the Monitoring Group wrote to the
Commission, seeking AMISOM’s agreement for a visit to the arms storage facility put in
place by the Mission in Mogadishu, in order to take the details of the arms seized or
discovered, and launch investigations on the producers of those weapons and the
delivery channels. At the time of finalizing this report, the Commission was considering
how best it could facilitate the proposed visit by the Monitoring Group.
VII.
OBSERVATIONS
50.
Looking at the developments of the last six months, one cannot but recognize
that the progress made towards lasting peace and reconciliation in Somalia remains
extremely limited. More than fifteen years after the onset of the civil war and nearly four
years following the conclusion of the IGAD-sponsored Reconciliation Conference in
Kenya, Somalia continues to be plagued by persistent violence and insecurity, the
absence of effective governance structures capable of performing their functions,
including delivering basic social services, an acute humanitarian crisis, and economic
collapse, all factors which have taken a heavy toll on the population. This situation has
seriously undermined the relative peace that existed in other parts of the country,
notably in the Sool region, and brought further instability to a region already faced with
huge security challenges.
51.
While the convening of the NRC in Mogadishu in July and August 2007
represented a landmark in the effort to promote an all-inclusive political process, the
Congress is yet to yield the much-expected results in terms of bringing together the
various Somali stakeholders onto the path of durable peace. Although, some steps were
taken by the TFG to guarantee the credibility of the process, crucial stakeholders
boycotted the Congress, with some resorting to violence and, in some instances,
outright acts of terrorism, to achieve their political objectives and undermine all attempts
at achieving a peaceful solution. Divisions and lack of harmony within the TFIs,
particularly the TFG, with the rift between the President and the former Prime Minister,