VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0923 2841934
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101934Z OCT 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI IMMEDIATE 0702
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5094
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000923 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SO UNSC PGOV ETTC
SUBJECT: UN/SOMALIA SANCTIONS: COUNCIL BRIEFED ON 
MONITORING GROUP CHALLENGES 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: On October 9, the Chair of the Somalia Sanctions 
Committee updated the Council on the latest activities of the 
UN Monitoring Group charged with assessing implementation of 
the Somalia arms embargo.  The Chair explained the Group's 
challenges identifying sources of financing for embargo 
violations and identified transportation by sea as the 
primary route to import arms.  The UK told the Council it 
will soon distribute a draft resolution to impose a targeted 
sanctions regime for Somalia.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  On October 9, South African UN Perm Rep Dumisani Kumalo, 
acting in his capacity as Chair of the Somalia Sanctions 
Committee, briefed the UN Security Council on information 
provided by the Somalia Monitoring Group during a mid-term 
presentation to the Somalia Sanctions Committee on September 
¶9.  (NOTE: The Monitoring Group is a UN-mandated team of 
experts charged with assessing the implementation of the UN 
arms embargo in Somalia. END NOTE).  Kumalo noted the 
Monitoring Group had laid out to the Committee areas of 
primary investigative focus: namely, mapping armed forces and 
groups; sources of financing for arms embargo violations; 
piracy, kidnapping and ransom; methods of arms 
transportation; and security sector support and related 
compliance issues. 
 
¶3.  Kumalo explained that the Monitoring Group documented 
that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces have continued 
their support to the Transitional Federal Government and 
allied militias, and that Eritrea has been supporting various 
armed opposition groups.  He added that the Monitoring Group 
experienced difficulties in investigating sources of 
financing for arms embargo violations, noting also the use of 
piracy, kidnapping and ransom in financing those violations. 
Kumalo further highlighted the use of transportation by sea 
as the primary means of importing arms, and that various 
donors (such as UNDP and UNOPS) were providing technical 
assistance and training to Somali police forces without 
properly notifying the Committee. 
 
¶4.   After Kumalo's presentation, the UK informed the Council 
that it was working on a new sanctions resolution for Somalia 
that would target individuals and entities who a) disrupt the 
peace in Somalia, b) breach the arms embargo, or c) impede 
access to or the delivery of humanitarian aid.  The UK said 
it planned to informally distribute the draft resolution 
soon.  Italy expressed its support for efforts to impose 
targeted sanctions, noting its concern that despite the 
existence of the arms embargo since 1992 Somalia remains 
awash with arms.  Costa Rica commented that the Council is 
giving an impression of inaction on the issue of Eritrean 
support to armed groups and ought to discuss this issue at a 
later date. 
Khalilzad