MOGADSHU (Halbeeg News) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud lauded the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for lifting the arms embargo on Somalia and supporting Somalia’s efforts to join the East African Community (EAC) regional bloc.
Mohamud addressing the 41st IGAD Extraordinary Meeting of Heads of State and Government in Djibouti City on Saturday identified the common challenges shared by the countries of the region, which include terrorism, the effects of climate change and conflicts.
“I thank the members of the IGAD Regional Organization for their support in lifting the arms embargo on Somalia and our request for inclusion in the East African Community, measures that testify to our efforts to ensure a stable and progressive Somalia,” Mohamud said.
Last month, the UN Security Council (UNSC) voted to lift an arms embargo on Somalia government forces, ending 31 years of restrictions that had prevented the country from upgrading its military with freely purchased new weaponry.
In a decision, the council sitting in New York voted 14-1 to lift the embargo on Somalia, but retained restrictions on arms trade or supplies to members of the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. France abstained.
The council permitted the federal government to order and purchase weapons from all legal merchants in the world. But it will have to submit a list of the weapons to the UN Sanctions Committee on Somalia for verifications.
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