The UN Security Council on Thursday voted to maintain an arms embargo on Somalia over strong objections from its government, saying that the al-Shabaab “terrorist group” still seriously threatens peace and stability in the region, and sanctions are needed to degrade its activities.
The resolution, which also expresses concern at the continued presence of affiliates of the Islamic State group in the Horn of African nation, was approved by a vote of 11-0, with Russia, China, Gabon and Ghana abstaining in support of the call by the Somalian government, backed by the African Union, to lift the arms embargo.
The British-drafted resolution does modify the arms embargo to reflect the government’s progress in improving its management of weapons and ammunition.
This includes allowing Somalia to import portable surface-to-air missiles, higher-caliber mortars, anti-tank guided weapons, combat drones, some aircraft and vessels designed or modified for military use, and combat drones for use by its security forces and police — unless the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions objects within five working days of receiving notification from the government.
British Deputy Ambassador to the UN James Kariuki said the benchmarks identified following a recent technical assessment highlighting Somalia’s progress provide “a clear roadmap … that will help this council make further changes to weapons and ammunition measures in the future.”
“The steps made today will simplify processes for Somalia and its partners, and help speed up the journey,” Kariuki said.
The resolution keeps in place the codified arms embargo, a ban on the sale or transfer of key components of improvised explosive devices that al-Shabaab has used, a ban on the import and export of Somalian charcoal that was a key money-earner, and travel bans and asset freezes on individuals threatening peace and associated with al-Shabaab, including by financing or facilitating its activities.
The Security Council imposed the arms embargo on Somalia in 1992 to cut the flow of weapons to feuding clan-based warlords who toppled then- Somalian president Mohamed Siad Barre the previous year, plunging the country into civil war.
Somalia in 2012 established a functioning transitional government and has been working to rebuild stability in the face of militant attacks and one of the worst droughts the country has experienced that has brought thousands to the brink of famine.
The government of Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been engaged in a new offensive against al-Shabaab, including efforts to shut down its financial network.
US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood expressed hope that the government would continue to make progress on the benchmarks, allowing for further easing of the arms embargo.
The sanctions regime adopted on Thursday is tailored to support and enable “robust action” by the government to combat al-Shabaab, including by depriving the group of its financial resources, Wood said.
He urged all countries to implement sanctions and deprive al-Shabaab of the ability to access funds and weapons.
Somalian Ambassador to the UN Abukar Osman expressed “deep dissatisfaction” with the extension of the embargo and praised the four countries that abstained for not supporting it.
The embargo, which is the longest UN sanctions regime, is hindering efforts to rebuild the country’s security forces to counter al-Shabaab, Osman said.
The army used “a major portion” of its armaments during engagements with al-Shabaab in the past four months and as a result of the arms embargo renewal, “our hands are tied in the fight against the ruthless enemy at this most critical time,” he said.
Osman said that people killed by Somalia’s “terrorist groups” are asking why lifting the arms embargo is a threat to international peace and security while other countries are being armed to defend their territory and people.
“This unjust and unfair double standard is preventing the government of Somalia to legally obtain military lethal equipment to rebuild its national army,” he told the council.
Kenyan Ambassador to the UN Martin Kimani, whose country has also been targeted by al-Shabaab, supported the resolution, but urged an eventual end to the embargo.
“The partial arms embargo in Somalia cannot exist in perpetuity, as it is counterproductive and adversely affects the capability of the federal government to eradicate the existential threat posed by al-Shabaab,” Kimani said.
The pitch is a classic: A young celebrity with no climbing experience spends a year in hard training and scales Mount Everest, succeeding against some — if not all — odds. French YouTuber Ines Benazzouz, known as Inoxtag, brought the story to life with a two-hour-plus documentary about his year preparing for the ultimate challenge. The film, titled Kaizen, proved a smash hit on its release last weekend. Young fans queued around the block to get into a preview screening in Paris, with Inoxtag’s management on Monday saying the film had smashed the box office record for a special cinema
CRITICISM: ‘One has to choose the lesser of two evils,’ Pope Francis said, as he criticized Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and Harris’ pro-choice position Pope Francis on Friday accused both former US president Donald Trump and US Vice President Kamala Harris of being “against life” as he returned to Rome from a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. The 87-year-old pontiff’s comments on the US presidential hopefuls came as he defied health concerns to connect with believers from the jungle of Papua New Guinea to the skyscrapers of Singapore. It was Francis’ longest trip in duration and distance since becoming head of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics more than 11 years ago. Despite the marathon visit, he held a long and spirited
‘DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY’: The melting of thousands of glaciers is a major threat to people in the landlocked region that already suffers from a water shortage Near a wooden hut high up in the Kyrgyz mountains, scientist Gulbara Omorova walked to a pile of gray rocks, reminiscing how the same spot was a glacier just a few years ago. At an altitude of 4,000m, the 35-year-old researcher is surrounded by the giant peaks of the towering Tian Shan range that also stretches into China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The area is home to thousands of glaciers that are melting at an alarming rate in Central Asia, already hard-hit by climate change. A glaciologist, Omarova is recording that process — worried about the future. She hiked six hours to get to
The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has hit a record high of more than 95,000, almost 90 percent of whom are women, government data showed yesterday. The figures further highlight the slow-burning demographic crisis gripping the world’s fourth-biggest economy as its population ages and shrinks. As of Sept. 1, Japan had 95,119 centenarians, up 2,980 year-on-year, with 83,958 of them women and 11,161 men, the Japanese Ministry of Health said in a statement. On Sunday, separate government data showed that the number of over-65s has hit a record high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3 percent of
RSS