48 th Annual Arizona Model United Nations Research Guide Security Council

Transcription

1 48 th Annual Arizona Model United Nations Research Guide Security Council The Security Council Current Purview of the Simulation: Representatives of the Security Council should note that the agenda provided is only provisional. The Security Council may discuss any international peace and security issue brought before it. For this reason, Representatives must have a broad knowledge of current events and international politics. PLEASE NOTE: Many of the topics listed below will change significantly before the Conference, and Representatives should be familiar with the up to date situations. Website: Topics: ~ Open Agenda ~ THE SITUATION IN SOMALIA Comprised of a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia was created in 1969 when the two territories merged. Since then, its development has been hindered by territorial claims on Somali-inhabited areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. In 1970, President Barre proclaimed a socialist state, paving the way for close relations with the USSR. However, Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people. The United Nations also estimates that 1 million people have become refugees during the humanitarian crisis. Opposition to President Barre s regime began to emerge in 1981 after he excluded members of the Mijertyn and Isaq clans from government positions that were then filled with people from his own Marahan clan. He was overthrown by opposing clans who then failed to agree on a replacement, plunging the country into lawlessness and clan warfare. Following the 1991 collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre s government, the United Nations (led by the United States) sent a force of 35,000 troops in Operation Restore Hope. The mission initially made progress but in 1991 American and European troops within the force began to withdraw. The UN Mission to Somalia, UNOSOM II, was plagued by tragedies. In 1993, US Army Rangers were killed when Somali militias shot down two US helicopters in Mogadishu and a battle ensues. Hundreds of Somalis died in the battle depicted in the film Black Hawk Down. The US mission formally ended in 1994 and the UN mission is ended with the withdrawal of forces in 1995.

2 Between 1995 and 2000, the situation deteriorated with the capital of Mogadishu divided between two rival warlords. In 2000, the situation began to look more promising. Abdikassim Salat Hassan was elected transitional president by various clan leaders in Djibouti. Though Hassan arrived in Mogadishu to a heroes welcome, in 2001 Somali warlords (backed by Ethiopia) announce their intention to form a national government in direct opposition to the country s transitional administration. In 2002, the transitional government signed a cease-fire with 21 clan-based factions at talks sponsored by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). In 2004, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) emerged from a two-year peace process led by IGAD and the government of Kenya. However, in 2006, the apparent political progress began to erode. Militias loyal to Sheikh Aweys and his Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) took control of Mogadishu and southern Somalia. Scores of people were killed and hundreds were injured during fierce fighting between rival militias in Mogadishu the worst violence in almost a decade. The Security Council, in S/RES/1725 (2006) authorized IGAD and the African Union (AU) to send a peacekeeping force to help prop up the transitional government. Prior to the deployment of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Ethiopian forces helped engage the UIC militias, eventually driving them out of Mogadishu with the assistance of the AMISOM. The UIC and affiliated anti-government groups have continued to fight with TFG and Ethiopian troops. Late 2007 and early 2008 were marked by repeated and coordinated antigovernment attacks from within Mogadishu, and Ethiopian forces responding by using mortar and field gun attacks on heavily populated areas from which those attacks were being launched. In light of these developments, the African Union Peace and Security Council has requested the transition of peacekeeping from AMISOM to United Nations forces, acknowledged in S/RES/1801. The security situation in Somalia still remains volatile. With little ability of the TFG to enforce law, and no navy, actions of international piracy have risen greatly. A boarder dispute between the self-governing areas of Somaliland and Puntland remains of concern, as well as the Hiraan and Juba districts becoming a possible safe haven for international terrorists. In March, the United States launched missile strikes on the southern town of Dhoble targeting a suspected al-qaeda member wanted for the 2002 bombing of an Israeliowned hotel in Kenya. The Islamist-led insurgency continues to spread. In April of 2008, the European Union called for international efforts to tackle piracy off the Somali coast after a series of hijacking and attacks on vessels. Also in April, American air strikes killed Aden Hashi Ayro, a leader of the Al-Shabaab insurgent group. In May, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he would keep troops inside Somalia until the jihadists are defeated. The UN Security Council unanimously voted to allow countries to send warships into Somalia s territorial waters to tackle pirates. In June, the government signed a three-month ceasefire pact with the opposition Alliance for Re- Liberation of Somalia, a deal with provides for Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia within

3 120 days. Hassan Dahir Aweys, leader of the Union of Islamic Courts rejected the deal, saying that the UIC will not stop fighting until all foreign troops have left the country. In July, the Head of the UN Development Programme in Somalia, Osman Ali Ahmed, was killed by a gunman in Mogadishu. Piracy has escalated and in September, Somali pirates hijacked a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks prompting widespread international concern. Most recently a group of 9 pirates hijacked an oil tanker carrying about $20 million of crude oil headed towards the United States. In response, the international community has reacted forcefully. In October, NATO agreed to dispatch a naval force to patrol waters off Somalia by the end of 2008, in an effort to control piracy. Earlier in June, the UN Security Council passed resolution S/2008/351 which authorized nations that an agreement with the TFG to enter Somali territorial waters in pursuit of piracy. Since then the Security Council has adopted a slew of measure in an attempt to curb the problem. Along with these acts, waves of coordinated bombings across the self-governing and relatively peaceful regions of Somaliland and Puntland in Somalia s north have killed at least 27 people. Additionally, on 3 Dec 2009 a suicide bomber blew himself up at a college ceremony killing 15 people, among them 3 prominent government ministers. Questions to consider from your government perspective: Why has the Somali civil war persisted for so long despite significant international attention? What might differentiate a new UN peacekeeping mission from AMISOM? How might neighbor state involvement further complicate the situation? Resources Veiled bomber kills 3 Somali Ministers, New York Times, 3 Dec 2009, < Issues at AMUN: the Security Council, American Model United Nations, 6 Dec 2009, < _The_Security_Council.pdf> Country Profile Somalia, BBC News, 3 Oct 2009, < Times Topics: Somalia New York Times, 17 Sept 2009, < malia/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=somalia&st=cse> Security Council, In Presidential Statement, Strongly Condemns Heinous Terrorist Attack on United Nations Government Offices in Somalia, United Nations Department of Public Information, 30 Oct 2008, <

4 Somalia: Security Council mandates action against pirates for another year, UN News Centre, 30 Nov 2009, Anti-piracy efforts must deal with its root causes, says UN envoy for Somalia, UN News Centre, 18 Nov 2009, < UN Documents: S/2009/210- Report of the Secretary-General on Somalia pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1863 (2009) S/2009/146-Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia S/2009/132-Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia S/2008/178 Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation in Somalia S/PRST/2009/15 S/RES/1863 S/RES/1846 S/RES/1801 S/RES/1772 S/RES/1766 S/RES/1744 S/RES/1725 S/RES/794 S/RES/751 S/2008/351 LINKS: THE SITUATION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO The 1997 invasion of Rwandan forces to flush out Hutu militias sparked five years of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL) was aided by Rwandan and Ugandan forces in toppling the government of Mubutu Sese Seko. They then installed a leader of AFDL, Laurent Kabila, as president. Shortly thereafter, the newly appointed president fell out of favor with the Rwandan and Ugandan forces when he turned against his former allies and demanded they withdrawal of their troops from the DRC. The Rally for Congolese Democracy (RDC) and the Movement for the Liberation of Congo rebel groups backed by Rwandan and Ugandan forces, launched an insurgency within the DRC to overthrow the government of Laurent Kabila. However, the governments of Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola decided to send troops to aid the government of Laurent Kabila, escalating the conflict further.

5 In July of 1999, the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement was signed, calling for the immediate halt of military operations by all six nations and the MLC. The Security Council dispatched 90 liaisons to monitor the ceasefire in August. The ceasefire was repeatedly breached thus prompting the creation of United Nations Origination Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) to monitor the ceasefire authorizing the deployment of 5,357 UN peacekeepers in February Laurent Kabila died from wounds sustained an assassination attempt in 2001 and his son, Joseph Kabila, took the presidency of the DRC. Fighting continued on a large scale until 2002 when Rwanda withdrew 20,000 troops and the Pretoria Agreement was signed creating a government of national unity among remaining warring rebel factions in the DRC. Since the end of the Second Congo War, the DRC remains a country in conflict. The war killed an estimated five million people, making it the deadliest conflict since WWII. Despite the presence of MONUC, may rebel groups still remain in the DRC that have not been incorporated into the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). Specific problematic groups include the Congres National Pour La Defense Du People (DNDP), Mayi-Mayi, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). These forces continue to engage the FARDC, especially in North Kivu province, South Kivu province and Ituri. Violence in these areas has stemmed from ethnic conflict between the Hutus and Tutsi who spilled over from Rwanda in 1994 and still continues. By February 2007, MONUC forces numbered 17,000 and were focused on the goals of enforcing and monitoring the ceasefire agreement, disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement, and reintegration of warring factions and transition towards credible elections. The first round of elections for president and the National Assembly took place in July of However, despite this progress many problems still face he DRC including, ethnic violence, the use of child soldiers, the looting of natural resources, illicit arms trade, the sexual violence against women, and nearly 2.3 million refugees. The recent conflict surrounding Goma has highlighted concern about the credibility of the UN in a case such as this. The Security Council had been requested to consider additional capacities before tensions flared in Goma, as MONUC had no force reserves. The Special Representative said that 92 per cent of its forces were deployed in the east, 67 per cent of that in the Kivus and, on October third, asked for the absolute minimum: two light infantry battalions, two additional formed police units, two companies of special forces as well as additional air assets and intelligence gathering and engineering capability. President Kabila had requested the establishment of a multinational force. On January 29 th, 2009 a combined force of Rwandan nationals and the FADRC captured CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda. This capture led to the accelerated integration of some 12,000 CNDP militia members into the FARDC. Nonetheless problems persist. Allegations of gross human rights violations by ex-cndp, newly formed armed groups

6 like the Front Populaire pour la Justice au Congo (FPJC), the FDLR and the FARDC among other abound. Further straining MONUC s capacities have been the accusations that they actively cooperate with groups that perpetrate atrocities against civilian populations. Questions to consider from your government s perspective: What can be done to limit the looting of resources that continues to perpetuate conflict? How might neighbor state involvement further complicate the situation? What might be done to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis especially in regards to women and children? Resources Press Conference on Situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations Department of Public Information, 30 Oct 2008, < Issues at AMUN: the Security Council, American Model United Nations, 6 Dec 2009, < _The_Security_Council.pdf> Country Profile Democratic Republic of the Congo, BBC News, 3 Oct 2009, Rapes and attacks on civilians continue in eastern DR Congo, UN reports, UN News Centre, 19 Oct 2009, < Democratic+Republic+of+Congo&Kw2=&Kw3=> Human rights expert calls joint UN-Congolese army action catastrophic, UN News Centre, 15 Oct 2009, < =Democratic+Republic+of+Congo&Kw2=&Kw3=> UN Documents: S/RES/1807 S/RES/1804 S/RES/1794 S/RES/1279 S/2009/335 - Twenty-eighth report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo S/2009/160 - Twenty-seventh report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

7 S/2008/433 Twenty-sixth report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo S/2008/773 Final Report on the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo S/2007/391 Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Links: THE SITUATION IN IRAQ In the wake of the suicide bombings on the U.N. Headquarters in Baghdad, the United Nations presence was greatly reduced. It has only recently been reinforced. Since the UN personnel reentered Iraq, the Security Council s primary action was the establishment of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in August of UNAMI was mandated to promote the efforts of the Iraqi government in strengthening representative government, political dialog, national reconciliation, diplomatic engagement of neighboring countries, and to assist vulnerable groups, including refugees and displaced persons, promote human rights and enable judicial and legal reform. Instrumental in the December 2005 elections, UNAMI has also been active in assisting the Iraq government with political and economic development as well as in coordinating reconstruction and humanitarian assistance efforts. Unfortunately, ongoing violence has hampered the successful work of UNAMI. In the past year the security situation has improved and the Security Council has expanded the role of UNAMI as outlined in resolution S/RES/1770. UNAMI has also played an important role in promoting regional cooperation in Iraq from neighboring states such as Turkey. The government of Iraq still faces many obstacles particularly those related to establishing national consensus regarding reconciliation of its government and the sharing of power and resources. UNAMI, the Iraqi government and the people of Iraq are largely dependent on the military personnel of Member States in the multinational force for security. Questions to consider from your government s perspective: How can the role of UNAMI be expanded to further promote a representative government of all political groups? How might such expansion effect regional cooperation? What additional steps can be taken to facilitate the return of refugees? Should UN peacekeepers assist in providing security for UNAMI humanitarian efforts? How does the security situation contribute to limited UN efforts? What can be done to improve the situation?

8 UN DOCUMENTS S/2008/266-Report of the Secretary General pursuant to paragraph 6of Resolution 1770 (2007) S/PRST/2009/17 S/RES/1859 A/RES/1790 S/ RES/1770 S/RES/1762 S/RES/1500 S/RES/1483 LINKS THE SITUATION IN IRAN Even after two previously unreported nuclear reactor sites were uncovered in Iran in 2002, the country has stated that its entire aim for nuclear power is solely for energy. As a member of the IAEA and signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treat, Iran is entitled the ability to develop nuclear energy. The issue is that enriched uranium can be easily refined to weapons-grade uranium for nuclear arms. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has increased inspections aimed at determining whether or not Iran has a military nuclear program operating alongside its civilian program, and over the past seven years the IAEA has found numerous instances in which Iran failed to report nuclear activities and nuclear facilities. The most recent was the reactor in Qom, which was uncovered in late (GOV/2009/74). The Security Council agreed in early June 2006 on a set of proposals for Iran, containing both incentives and disincentives to cause Iran to abstain from uranium enrichment. Iran rejected the proposals, calling them insulting and humiliating. Following the rejection of the proposals, the Security Council issued five resolutions between July 2006 and September 2008 banning arms exports, freezing assets, and restricting the travel of individuals, groups, and companies associated with the nuclear program. The latest resolution, S/RES/1835, was issued shortly after the IAEA Board of Governors report (GOV/2008/38). This report, while verifying non-divergence of declared nuclear material from the few facilities the IAEA had access to, cites several areas of question regarding high-explosives testing, missile and re-entry vehicle work, continued uranium enrichment and lack of cooperation regarding transparency efforts in nuclear research and development, uranium processing, and mining facilities. More recently, the IAEA Board of Governors passed resolution GOV/2009/82, which stated that Iran's building of this reactor did not contribute to the building of confidence, and was in violation of several previous Security Council resolutions and

9 also urged Iran to meet the obligations and commitments previously agreed to. Iran claims that these Security Council s resolutions are illegal and a violation of its rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Of the 35 members of the Board of Governors of the IAEA, only three (Malaysia, Cuba, Venezuela) voted against the resolution. Former IAEA Director Dr. Mohammed El Baradei also stated that negotiations with Iran on their nuclear fuel were at a "dead end". Iran has responded to the IAEA resolution by calling it illegal and vowing to reduce already strained cooperation with the nuclear agency. Questions to consider from your government s perspective: How does the presence of the Iranian nuclear program affect the implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty? Given that Iran is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, how would your country work to reduce Iran's enrichment of uranium given their right under that treat? What are appropriate actions for the international community to take with regard to Iran s nuclear program? UN Documents: GOV/2009/8 GOV/2009/82 GOV/2009/74 GOV/2008/59 GOV/2008/38 GOV/2008/6 GOV/2006/14 GOV/2003/40 INFCIRC/724 S/RES/1835 S/RES/1803 S/RES/1747 S/RES/1737 S/RES/1696 LINKS

10 OTHER SITUATIONS TO CONSIDER & RESEARCH: THE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN THE SITUATION IN THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF KOREA THE SITUATION IN SUDAN THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT