UN Security Council sets to decide on arms embargo on Somalia
The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Friday to lift the 30-year arms embargo on Somalia. The embargo was initially imposed in 1992 to curb weapon flow to feuding warlords, leading to a prolonged civil war.
Diplomats indicate that the council will adopt two British-drafted resolutions – one to remove the arms embargo on Somalia and another to reinstate it on Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants.
One draft resolution clarifies that there will be “no arms embargo on the government of the Federal Republic of Somalia.” Concerns are expressed about the lack of safe ammunition storage facilities in Somalia, urging the construction and refurbishment of secure depots across the country. The international community is encouraged to assist in this effort.
Al Shabaab, linked to Al Qaeda, has been in conflict with the Somali government since 2006, seeking to establish its rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. The Somali government has long sought the removal of the arms embargo to strengthen its forces against the militants. The Security Council began lifting measures on Somalia’s security forces in 2013.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stated last week that Somalia aims to expel Al Shabaab within a year, with the deadline for African Union peacekeepers to depart looming next December.
