UN in talks with Kenya over KDF link in Somalia charcoal

NEW YORK/UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations has initiated “engagements” with Kenyan authorities regarding possible involvement of Kenyan troops in illicit exports of charcoal from Somalia, the United Kingdom’s UN envoy said on Friday.

Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant commented in response to a reporter’s question following a UN Security Council move to authorise inspections of ships suspected of carrying charcoal from Somalia.

The UK-sponsored council resolution — adopted with 13 votes in favour, none against and two abstentions — aims to cut off a key source of funding for al-Shabaab.

The UN banned charcoal exports from Somalia in 2012, but Shabaab has continued to reap large profits from the trade, according to a recent report by a UN monitoring group.

Most of the charcoal is shipped from the port of Kismayu, which has been under the control of Kenyan forces for the past two years, the monitors’ report pointed out.

“We take all the reporting in the monitoring report very seriously,” Ambassador Grant told reporters. “Yes, there have been engagements with the Kenyan authorities and others about any activities on the charcoal trade in Kismayu and Kenyan troops.”

The UK envoy emphasised that the resolution is aimed specifically at severing a “lifeline” for Shabaab. He added, however, that “if there are also other elements involved in the charcoal trade, and in a place like Somalia one cannot guarantee that is not the case, then obviously that should be pointed out.”

Estimating the value of charcoal exports at $250 million during a two-year period, the Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group said some of its sources had indicated that these illicit proceeds are divided equally among al-Shabaab, the Kenyan forces deployed in Kismayu, and a local militia’s regional overseers.

DOCUMENTED 161 SHIPS

The UN experts said they had documented 161 ships carrying charcoal from Somalia’s ports of Kismayu and Barawe between June 2013 and May 2014.

About 60 per cent of the vessels were flying the flag of India or were under Indian ownership, the monitors noted. Most of the cargo was being sent to Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, the report added.

Russia and Jordan were the two countries abstaining on the vote that authorises “all necessary measures” to carry out interceptions of ships sailing from Somali ports.

That wording is diplomatic parlance for the use of military force. Both the abstainers argued that the resolution is too open-ended and could lead to violations of international law.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin also criticised the monitoring group’s report for basing its conclusions on “assumptions and rash accusations”. Mr Churkin did not specify the conclusions to which he was referring.

The three African members of the Security Council — Rwanda, Nigeria and Chad — supported the resolution, as did China and the US.

Somalia explicity endorsed the resolution in a speech its delegate made to the Security Council. “The federal government will ensure that this resolution is implemented in a responsible manner,” the Somali delegate said.

“We note and appreciate that no member state will be permitted to conduct interdictions without the express consent of the government of Somalia.”