After an arms embargo against Somalia was established more than 30 years ago, the UN Security Council unanimously decided on Friday to lift the last restrictions on the country’s government and security forces receiving weapons.
In order to stop the flow of weapons to rival warlords who had overthrown dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and sparked a civil war in the Horn of Africa, the council imposed an embargo on Somalia in 1992.
Two resolutions proposed by the British were approved by the 15-member body: one lifted the arms embargo on Somalia in its entirety and the other reinstated it on terrorists from al-Shabab who are affiliated with al Qaida.
It is explicitly stated in the resolution ending the arms embargo, “for the avoidance of doubt, that there is no arms embargo on the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
Additionally, it expresses worry regarding the dearth of secure ammunition storage facilities in Somalia and promotes the establishment, renovation, and utilisation of secure ammunition depots throughout the country. It calls on other nations to lend a hand.
“We can now address security threats thanks to the lifting of the arms embargo,” stated U.N. Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman of Somalia. “It also allows us to bolster the capacity of the Somali security forces by accessing lethal arms and equipment to adequately safeguard our citizens and our nation.”
Since 2006, Al-Shabab has waged a bloody insurgency against the Somali government in an attempt to impose its own rigid interpretation of Islamic Sharia law as the basis for its own form of governance.
The government of Somalia has long requested the lifting of the arms embargo in order to strengthen its armed forces and combat the insurgents. In 2013, the Security Council started to gradually ease sanctions against Somalia’s security forces.
Last Monday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced that Somalia has one year to drive out al-Shabab, with December 2024 marking the impending departure of the last African Union forces.
Reuters
