The European Parliament adopted a resolution on terrorist attacks in Somalia.
The resolution was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE and Greens/EFA groups.
Parliament expressed its deepest sympathy with the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Somalia, and strongly condemned the perpetrators of these attacks, which have been attributed to the Al-Shabaab insurgent group. On 14 October 2017, a truck bomb exploded in the centre of Mogadishu killing at least 358 people and injuring 228 others, while 56 are still missing. Members welcomed the emergency action taken quickly by the Commission following this attack.
Parliament recalled that the threat of famine still looms large in Somalia, with approximately 400 000 Somali children suffering from acute malnutrition and with 3 million people living in crisis or emergency food security conditions.
It called for the EU and its international partners to fulfil their commitments to Somalia, in the first instance through measures to establish food security, with a view to avoiding the structural problems that lead to famine, to fostering security and the reconciliation of communal grievances, to improving the management of public finances and to assisting in the completion of the constitutional review needed to achieve long-term stability.
Parliament took note of the Nairobi Declaration of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on sustainable solutions for Somali refugees and the reintegration of returnees in Somalia: there are 420 000 Somali refugees in camps in Kenya, with 350 000 in the Dadaab camp. The governments of Somalia and Kenya, and the UNHCR, have agreed to facilitate the voluntary return of 10 000 refugees to areas in Somalia that are not under Al-Shabaab control.
The resolution stressed the need to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Somalia. Deploring the recruitment of child soldiers by Al-Shabaab militants, Parliament called on international donors, including the EU, to prioritise the provision of rehabilitation services, education and safe schooling to former child soldiers.
Lastly, Parliament raised serious concern that natural resources, in particular charcoal, remain a significant source of financing for terrorists. It called on the Commission to examine how traceability and due diligence schemes can be widened to include all natural resources used to fuel terrorist activity and violence.