Somalia reiterates appeal to lift UN arms embargo
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Staff reporter Garowe Online
- Posted On 10-02-2020, 11:56PM
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Somalia has reiterated appeal to the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo first imposed on the Horn of Africa country in 1992, one year after the start of the civil war, Garowe Online reports.
Speaking at the 33rd AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday, 10th February, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said the arms embargo is restricting the country’s ability to acquire weapons necessary to defeat the terrorists.
“The Arms Embargo may have been necessary for the past where Somalia was in turmoil but today, we fighting against international terrorists who manufacturing homemade explosives for their attacks,” said Farmajo.
He added that the arms embargo had significantly eroded the capacity of the Somali government to fight the al-Qaeda-linked insurgency al-Shabaab that has been wreaking havoc in Somalia for the past decade.
As part of Somalia's Security Transitional plan, Somalia is currently preparing to take full responsibility for its security from AMISOM – AU Mission in Somalia and this will require a better equipped National Army able to respond to threats.
The long-standing restrictions on the importation of weapons have largely prevented their flow into the hands of Al-Shabaab — a group responsible for ongoing terror attacks in Somalia as well as in neighboring countries.
How can guns be silenced in Africa once and for all?
The two-day African Union [AU] meeting was held under the theme of the year "Silencing the Guns" and Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa's Development.
African leaders need to address the root causes of the problem. To build peace, They also need to create inclusive multi-sectoral programs that will address the economic, social and environmental causes of the challenge.
About 600 million young people in Africa are unemployed, uneducated or in insecure employment. The governments should work jointly to invest in economic development in order to stop our youth from taking up arms.
GAROWE ONLINE
