By Shafi’i Mohyaddin
Saturday, March 01, 2014
The United Nations Security council is set to discuss on the security situation in Somalia and the African Union Peace keeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) next week, according to the foreign affairs minister Abdirahman Duale Beyle.
Mr. Beyle said that the UN Security Council meeting on Somalia slated in New York for 6-8 March will closely watch on the latest developments in the country including the AU mission, the fight against al Shabab militants and the United Nations arms embargo on Somalia that was partially lifted a year ago.
“On the 6th of March last year, the UN Security Council unanimously endorsed to partially lift the arms embargo and the decision was already implemented on the ground—Now as the one-year period ends next week, the UN will once again look into the matter” foreign minister Abdirahman Duale Beyle told the media before flying from Mogadishu on Friday on his way to New York.
In January this year, Somali President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud told the media that his government bought weapons and ammunitions from unspecified foreign nations benefitting from the partially lifting of the UN arms embargo on Somalia.
Last month the UN monitoring group on Somalia and Eritrea said in a report that weapons and ammunitions stolen from Somali government depots were sold to Al Shabab by some government officials, an accusation that Somali government denied.
However, anonymous sources at the United Nations recently leaked reports that the world body was intending to increase the period of the arms embargo extenuation.
The UN imposed the arms embargo on Somalia on 23rd of January 1992 under the UN resolution 733.
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