MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Leaders from Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti have called on United Nations (UN) to lift arms embargo on Somalia.
Kenyan President William Ruto, Djibouti’s Ismael Guelle and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have attended Frontline states summit which was hosted by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu. The summit welcomed Somalia’s government request to obtain lethal and non-lethal support in war against al Shabaab. The leaders agreed with Hassan Sheikh Mohamud that al-Shabaab must be smoked out of every part of the Horn.
“(The Summit) Welcomes the request by the Somali Government to obtain both lethal and non-lethal support to equip the newly-generated SNA (Somali National Army) units and to enhance the firepower capabilities of current SNA operational units,” a communique said on Wednesday.
Somalia has lately been raising the tempo against Shabaab, cheering on village vigilantes to fight alongside the SNA, while banning Shabaab narratives from the media, and freezing bank accounts linked to the militant group.
But the group has often responded with vengeance, targeting government offices, civil servants, and civilian areas with explosives to avenge for lost territory.
Somali government has been trying to convince UN to completely lift the arms embargo by the end of this year.
In November, the UN Security Council extended the arms embargo until November next year, arguing Shabaab was still a threat to the country.
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