Should UN reintroduce arms embargo in Somalia?

GAROWE, Somalia - A few months after the United Nations Security Council lifted the arms embargo imposed on Somalia, the recent use and misuse of weapons has triggered debate among actors, who accuse the state of using them against innocent civilians.

Somalia was serving a lengthy ban after the proliferation of small weapons was reported, with the United Nations taking action to prevent the further rise of unauthorised weapons which could stagnate peacekeeping missions in the country.

But the recent events in Lower Jubba could come to haunt the federal government of Somalia after several elite soldiers were ferried to Raskamboni town to face regional troops. The result left the Somali National Army (SNA) nursing defeat.

Abdi Farah Said, Puntland’s Minister of Interior, says the United Nations should enforce the ban to save Somalia from plunging into unprecedented instability. The government, he said, was using the weapons meant to tackle Al-Shabaab in settling internal political scores.

“The weapons intended to secure Somalia are being misused to fuel political conflicts and destabilize federal member states,” Juha said. “This is a reckless and dangerous misuse of military resources.”

Deployment of forces to Raskamboni, he added, was a deliberate move to undermine the regional administration of Jubaland, further exposing the fragility of the federal system which is on autopilot mode in the Horn of Africa nation.

“This deployment is an attack on the federal system and destabilizes the trust needed for national unity,” Juha said, adding that such actions erode public confidence in Mogadishu’s leadership.

“There are no safeguards in place to ensure these drones are used appropriately,” Juha said. “This negligence threatens to escalate tensions further.”

On Tuesday, the Jubaland administration condemned the mobilisation of troops in the Gedo region, adding that there was an elaborate scheme to further destabilize the state even after the decisive loss in Raskamboni town.

“Hassan Sheikh [Somali President] and his group are once again seeking to sow security chaos in the districts of Gedo region, a move that could lead to a breakdown in order as security officials, intended to maintain stability, are being manipulated for political ends,” Jubaland authorities said in a statement.

“Troops tasked with safeguarding the lives, resources, and security of the Somali people are being exploited by the defendant, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and his team to dismantle a governmental system, in a clear violation of constitutional mandates.”

Lifted in 2023, the lengthy arms embargo was instrumental in the regulation of weapons accessed by the Al-Shabaab militants who are fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

The government of Somalia is accused of plotting to remove Jubaland leader Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe, who won the third term recently.

Observers say the use of the military in Raskamboni could further expose the government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the weakling in the stabilisation of the region.

GAROWE ONLINE