It is premature for the UN Security Council to consider lifting an arms embargo on Somalia later this week, Amnesty International said as it
It is premature for the UN Security Council to consider lifting an arms embargo on Somalia later this week, Amnesty International said as it warned such a move could see armed groups such as al-Shabab getting its hands on even more weapons, while removing existing mechanisms of transparency and accountability.
Despite improvements in security in some areas of the country, including in Mogadishu, civilians still face a high risk of being killed or injured during outbreaks of fighting, in air strikes, mortar shelling or through the use of suicide attacks and improvised explosive devices.
Without adequate safeguards, arms transfers may expose Somali civilians to even greater risk and worsen the humanitarian situation, said Gemma Davies, Amnesty International’s Somalia researcher.
For several years, the arms embargo on Somalia has been continuously violated with arms supplied to armed groups on all sides of the conflict. The flow of arms to Somalia has fuelled serious human rights abuses committed during the conflict.
The widespread availability of arms in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia continues to lead to greater insecurity for civilians.
During a recent Security Council debate on Somalia, Fowsiyo Yusuf Haji Adan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Government urged both financial and military support to consolidate peace and to help hold areas recovered from the control of armed groups.
Adan also requested the lifting of the arms embargo, stating her governments intention of putting in place the necessary mechanisms to ensure that armaments do not fall into the wrong hands?.
Although this intention is welcome, Amnesty International believes that such mechanisms should be implemented first and that the Security Council should only proceed with the lifting of the arms embargo once they prove effective.
Instead of lifting the embargo, it should be strengthened by incorporating strict rules granting exemptions to prevent arms from getting into the wrong hands and being used to commit human rights and humanitarian abuses.
Amnesty International
Those against lifting the arms embargo on Somalia are against the very foundation of a state.
the first of these foundations being a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence.
Infringing on a state’s right to monopolize the use of legitimate violence greatly diminishes that state’s capacity to govern effectively.
Max Weber
Lifting of Arms Embargo on Somalia, although good for supplying Somalia troops can be a mistake if it is not coupled by similar and simultanious lifting of ARMS EMBARGO on Somaliland, a second of the two entities that made up the fail state of the SOMALI REPUBLIC The is no doubt that these weapons will find themselves in the hands of ALSHEBABE, PUNTLAND and KHAATUMO SEEG 3 entities that are hostile to PeaceFull and DEMOCRATIC republic of SOMALILAND. This would no doubt herald in a new period of instability and warfare, especially when all of these entities mentioned had one time or another promised to annahilate the people of Somaliland.
THIS IS A MISTAKE, IN MY OPINION, AND WOULD TIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN FAVORE OF WARMONGERS RATHER THAN PEACE LOVERS. IF THE UN IS CONSIDERING TO LIFT THE EMBARGO, IT SHOULD SIMULTANIOUSLY REMOVE THE EMBARGO IN SOMALILAND AND SOMALIA TOGETHER, THE TWO ENTITIES THAT MADE UP THE SOMALI REPUBLIC
Let them kill and eat each other. less of these scum for us to deal with.
Mr Xarbi
We as community Somalis in Toronto just buried 10 individuals across all clan. one of those was my younger brother best friend sister who was mentally ill and threw herself a building. the young lady was habar awal sacad muuse her burial all of us Somalis came and pray for her journey to the other world to be a lot pleasant than the one she let in this earth. Her mother who has Alzheimer all her neighbors are ready to help the young man since he.s going be the care taker from now on and will need all help he can get, and those who offer to help has no clan attach to it. The reason I told you the story is, This may do you good and another thing those who wish other people bad always end up in difficulties,
Somalia does not need any more weapons. Somalis in the south are just like animals because they have killed each other for past 20 odd yrs.