Ambassador Richard Mills
U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
March 31, 2022
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Madam President. The United States is pleased to vote in favor of this resolution today. We appreciate the extraordinary efforts of our UK colleagues to produce a quality mandate for the reconfigured mission in Somalia. We would like to take a moment to recognize and honor the sacrifices made by AMISOM forces since its creation in 2007.
It is rare that this Council gets the opportunity to help shape the transition of a mission. The United States voted in favor of this resolution because it provides a vital opportunity to build on AMISOM’s efforts and take the next steps to roll back al-Shabaab, enabling Somalia to provide the security and stability required for the Somali people to achieve their aspirations.
We applaud the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia, the African Union, and other stakeholders to develop a proposal and a concept of operations that provide a credible, shared vision of how to more actively counter al-Shabaab and transition the responsibility for security to the Somali security forces.
The United States supported the adoption of this resolution because we appreciate and support measures in the mandate to increase accountability, transparency, command and control, and mission efficiency.
Al-Shabaab is a formidable and adaptable threat to Somalia, and to East Africa more broadly. As al-Qaeda’s largest and best financed affiliate, al-Shabaab represents a threat that requires a vigorous and broad-based response. The ATMIS mandate provides the opportunity to adapt and reinvigorate the African-led, international effort against al-Shabaab.
Thank you, Madam President.
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