The United Nations Security Council has been requested to relax an arms embargo on Somalia because, according to the country’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, it is no longer necessary.
However, according to some observers, Somalia is still having difficulty preventing terrorists from obtaining security-related weapons.
On Thursday, Mohamud informed the Security Council that his country had taken enough precautions to stop the smuggling of guns. He said that laws were in place to regulate the ownership, production, storage, and usage of firearms.
He pleaded with the distinguished delegates, “I beseech you to support our appeal for the full relaxation of the arms embargo in Somalia. You will provide us the ability to establish our sovereignty, successfully battle terrorism, and create a peaceful and prosperous future for our country if you do this.
He said the situation in Somalia had greatly improved and emphasized that it was not the same country in 1992 when the Security Council imposed the arms embargo.
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The leader of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), Mohamed El-Amine Souef, echoed calls for the embargo to be lifted. He pointed out that persistent pressure must be applied to al-Shabab in order to preserve the progress gained over the years.
“We must support SSF [Somalia Security Force] leadership, hold liberated areas, and take over FOBs [forward operating bases],” he stated. In order to combat al-Shabab and maintain freshly liberated territories, these forces need money. This demands that the arms embargo on Somalia be lifted.
Currently, Somalia is engaged in a military campaign against al-Shabab. The offensive known as Operation Black Lion’s second phase is about to begin, according to the federal authorities. Following an agreement among the nations in January, the second phase will have extra forces from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti supporting it as opposed to the first phase’s involvement of the Somali army and clan militia.
The removal of the embargo would be a good step for Somalia as it strives to assert its sovereignty, according to Matt Bryden, chairman of Sahan, a policy and security research center on the Horn of Africa, but there is no proof that it will alter the security dynamics in the nation.
“It’s not clear that lifting the arms embargo would actually change the situation or allow the government to improve its military position,” he stated. Only a few limits remain on the kinds of weapons the government can purchase, and there are already exemptions for receiving military aid.
Doubts over lifting the embargo
Even if the ban was repealed, according to Bryden, the Somali government would not be able to acquire expensive weapons. He continued by saying that even while nations like Kenya and Ethiopia have voiced their opposition to the embargo, they still worry that weapons could still end up in the wrong hands. He pointed out that the African Union continues to oppose the lifting of the embargo, even at the Security Council where Africa is represented by three nations.
He asserted that the main reason why regional nations, Somalia’s neighbors, are worried about lifting the arms embargo is that neither the federal government nor Somalia’s sea or land boundaries are under its authority. In light of the fact that weapons are still openly entering Somalia despite the conditions of the arms embargo, there is concern about this.
As Somalia fights al-Shabab militants, Samira Gaid, an independent security expert in Mogadishu, told VOA that lifting the arms embargo was more crucial right now.
“The nation is at war with a terrorist organization. To confront this group, engage in combat with it, and drive it from Somalia, it needs to use all of its resources, she said. Therefore, the current security situation actually supports easing this arms ban.
Gaid, though, opined that the Security Council was unlikely to quickly lift the embargo. She stated that the embargo would continue for some time unless a clear road map was created between Somalia and the council.
Political issues
Analysts have also expressed concern over Somalia’s political conflicts and how they would thwart efforts to ease the arms embargo.
Mohamud has indicated a political will, but political conflicts, particularly in Puntland and Somaliland, might hinder the president’s request to the Security Council, according to Ismail Omar Dalmar, a political analyst with Linking Governance, a policy strategy firm in Mogadishu.
Following the fall of the central government and the ensuing civil war, the council imposed the embargo on Somalia in 1992. The council lifted the ban on certain calibers of weapons in March 2013 by Resolution 2093, enabling the Somali government to build up its security forces and safeguard its populace.
The embargo, which is in its third decade, has been referred to as the Security Council’s longest-lasting arms embargo.
