Today: 19 June 2025
3 December 2023
2 mins read

Somalia president hails lifting of arms embargo

In a statement, Information Minister Daud Aweis said the embargo lift will help modernize the country’s armed forces…reports Asian Lite News

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed Saturday the U.N. Security Council vote to lift an arms embargo imposed on the Horn of Africa nation more than 30 years ago.

The 15-member council unanimously voted Friday night in favor of the British-drafted resolution to lift the weapons ban. However, France was the only member to abstain when voting on another resolution to reimpose an arms embargo on al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants, saying the resolution lacked references to the territorial disputes between Djibouti and Eritrea.

In a statement, Information Minister Daud Aweis said the embargo lift will help modernize the country’s armed forces. “Somalia has been grappling with significant security challenges, including the presence of extremist groups such as al-Shabab. The Somali government needs access to modern arms and equipment to effectively combat these threats and maintain security within its borders,” the statement read.

The Somali president, in a televised statement soon after the adoption of the resolution, said the embargo lift “means that we are now free to purchase any weapons needed,” adding that “friendly nations and allies” can now “provide us with the necessary weapons without any limitations or restrictions.”

Somalia was placed under the embargo in 1992 to stop the sale of weapons to warlords who toppled former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The ouster led to decades of civil war and instability in the country as the warlords fought against each other.

Last month, Mohamud pledged to wipe out the Islamist group, al-Shabaab, by Dec. 2024. The militant group has lost swaths of territory since the government backed by local militias, African Union troops and Western powers, launched an extensive offensive against it in May.

Somalia has been plagued by years of conflict and has for decades heavily depended on the support of African Union forces, as well as Western powers such as the United States and Turkey, to maintain security and counter the threat posed by Islamic militant groups operating within the country.

ALSO READ-Somalian Army killed 1,650 al-Shabab militants in 2 months

Previous Story

Burkina Faso rights defender abducted

Next Story

Ukrainian Prosecutors Probe Alleged War Crimes

Latest from -Top News

Trump: Khamenei an ‘Easy Target’

As the conflict between Iran and Israel entered its fifth day and continues to escalate, Trump also called for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER”….reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed

India Evacuates Students from Tehran

The Ministry also said that the Indian Embassy is continuously in touch with the community to provide all feasible assistance….reports Asian Lite News Amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, India has

Trump: Get Out of Tehran Now!

The US President also announced that he would cut short his visit to the Group of 7 (G7) summit in Canada to closely monitor the situation …reports Asian Lite News US President

Iran Hits Key Israeli Oil Facility

Three company employees were killed in the pre-dawn attack on Monday night, which ignited fires at the strategic complex….reports Asian Lite News Bazan, Israel’s largest oil refinery company, announced that all of
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UN says Somalia faces a ‘dire hunger emergency’

Somalia has faced numerous attacks from al-Shabab and recently the

Somalia Faces Escalating Cholera Crisis

The ministry also said 23 deaths (0.9 per cent case