UN peace-keepers to withdraw by end of March 1995.

The Security Council on 4 November, in extending the mandate of the UN Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II) for a final period until 31 March 1995, decided that every effort should be made to withdraw all peace-keeping forces and assets from Somalia "in a secure and orderly manner". To that end, it authorized the forces to take the actions necessary to protect the withdrawal.

"The establishment of a viable and acceptable peace can only come from the Somalis themselves", the Secretary-General declared in a report to the Council. "The international community cannot impose peace."

In adopting resolution 954 (1994), the Council demanded that Somali parties refrain from any acts of intimidation or violence against UNOSOM II and other personnel engaged in humanitarian activities.

Member States were asked to assist in the withdrawal of ONUSOM--which was launched in April 1992, when tens of thousands of Somali citizens were reported starving and subject to daily violence by armed bandits.

The Secretary-General was asked to keep the Council informed about the withdrawal process, the developments affecting the humanitarian situation, the security situation for humanitarian personnel, the repatriation of refugees and impacts on neighbouring countries. In reporting to the Council before 31 March 1995, he was to make suggestions on the role that the UN could play in Somalia beyond that date.

At the peak of its operations, UNOSOM had a strength of 30,000 troops and civilians, making it the largest peace-keeping force in UN history. By the end of 1994, some 8,000 peace-keepers were still in Somalia.

The Council affirmed that, until its termination, UNOSOM II's primary purpose was to facilitate political reconciliation in the country. It urged Somali factions to negotiate a ceasefire and the formation of a transitional government of national unity. It called upon Member States, particularly neighbouring countries, to continue supporting Somali efforts towards peace and national reconciliation, and invited the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to continue their cooperation with the UN in that regard.

The Council reiterated the need for observance and strict monitoring of the general and complete embargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Somalia, and asked the Committee established by the Council for that purpose to fulfil its mandate and seek the cooperation of neighbouring States for the embargo's effective implementation.

(On 16 November, that Committee appealed to individuals, and national and international organizations for information relating to any violations or alleged violations of the mandatory arms embargo established against Somalia under resolution 733 (1992) of 23 January 1992.)

Interim extension approved

The Security Council on 31 October, in unanimously adopting resolution 953 (1994), extended UNOSOM II's mandate for an interim period expiring on 4 November.

In so doing, the Council provided itself time to consider the report of its seven-member mission to Somalia (24-29 October) before completing the review of the Operation's mandate and deciding on its future.

The mission, led by Colin Keating of New Zealand, was charged with conveying directly to the Somali political parties the Council's views on the situation in Somalia and on the future of the UN's presence there.

In a 3 November report (S/1994/1245), the mission said that none of the Somali factions had asked for an extension of UNOSOM II's presence beyond 31 March 1995. The mission's visit had provided a timely opportunity to influence political events in a positive direction, and hopefully might have had some useful impact, the report added.

However, everything that the mission had seen had left its members with a profound sense of unease and a fear that, whether or not UNOSOM II left, political reconciliation or the emergence of a government that enjoyed widespread acceptance was far from certain. The risk of a return to civil war was real, the report said. The Council should continue to receive reports and monitor the situation, given its role to date, even after UNOSOM II's withdrawal.

In a 14 October report (S/1994/1166), the Secretary-General noted that Somali leaders still had not carried out commitments entered into under the Addis Ababa Agreement of 27 March 1993 and the Nairobi Declaration of 24 March 1994, and a "vacuum of civil authority" had been created, leaving the UN with no function to build on.

The Secretary-General estimated that the withdrawal might take up to 120 days. He recommended that, should the withdrawal of forces take place under hostile circumstances, troop-contributing States respect unified command and control under the authority of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative, James V. Gbeho, and the UNOSOM II Force Commander. Unilateral attempts by those States to extricate their contingents would only deepen the problem.

Time to consolidate

UNOSOM's mandate extension would give Somali leaders time to consolidate political reconciliation. The Special Representative would continue to help achieve reconciliation, at least to the extent of agreeing to establish a transitional government. If progress were made, some UN presence in Somalia might continue beyond March 1995 if justified by the overriding objective of restoring effective government.

Humanitarian organizations were committed to continue their work in Somalia, but they could only do so in a secure environment, the report observed. If Somalia plunged into anarchy and chaos following the UNOSOM withdrawal, the responsibility would rest squarely on the shoulders of Somali leaders.

The report stated that repatriation of 500,000 refugees and the resettlement of up to 400,000 internally displaced persons must be tackled as soon as possible. However, continued insecurity and the lack of political reconciliation progress had limited rehabilitation interventions to small-scale projects.

A special meeting was convened at Nairobi on 24 and 25 October, with the participation of all interested entities, to review the future of humanitarian operations in Somalia following the termination of UNOSOM's mandate.

In a statement by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Somalia (IASC), UN organizations working in that country reconfirmed their commitment to continue to the maximum extent possible emergency and rehabilitation activities even beyond the expiration of UNOSOM's mandate.

The immediate goal was to continue to address the pressing needs of the most vulnerable groups. Basic community services were unlikely to be sustained much beyond the withdrawal of external financial or management support.

Without a continued military presence or new security arrangements, it would not be possible to provide the necessary assistance to Somalis, the IASC felt. UN organizations agreed to adopt a common and coordinated approach to retain or replace the essential programme support and operational services formerly provided by UNOSOM. They were committed to developing a common framework for action with the full participation of all operational partners. To that end, it was proposed that a UN coordination team be established, composed of senior representatives of UN organizations active in Somalia.

On 7 December, the Security Council welcomed the IASC statement reconfirming their commitment to continue emergency and rehabilitation activities even beyond the expiry of UNOSOM's mandate.

On 20 December, the General Assembly, in resolution 49/21K, urged States and organizations to continue to support Somalis in rehabilitating basic social and economic services. It appealed to all Somali parties concerned to terminate hostilities and to engage in a national reconciliation process that would allow for a transition from relief to reconstruction and development.