UN Security Council extends eased Somalia arms embargo - Finance News - London South East

UN Security Council extends eased Somalia arms embargo - Finance News - London South East

The United Nations Security Council approved an eight-month extendsion Wednesday of a partial easing of the decades-old arms embargo on Somalia, but set strict conditions on monitoring and reporting of the weapons imports.
The 15-member Security Council decided that through October 25 "the arms embargo on Somalia shall not apply to deliveries of weapons, ammunition or military equipment ... intended solely for the development of the security forces of the Federal Government of Somalia."
The British-drafted resolution emphasized that the partial lift of embargo was only for Somali government forces, and that the imported arms "may not be resold to, transferred to, or made available for use by any individual or entity."
It required the government in Mogadishu to ensure the safe and effective management, storage and security of its arms.
The conditions are seen as safety mechanisms to prevent weapons and military gear from being diverted to al-Shabaab militants who are active outside of Somalia's major cities.
The resolution asked the Somali government to inform a committee of UN experts, who monitor the embargo, at least five days in advance of any deliveries of weapons, ammunition or military equipment.
The UN Security Council imposed the arms embargo in 1992 in a bid to cut the flow of weapons to warring parties during Somalia's civil war. The council first eased the embargo a year ago March after the government in Mogadishu asked for a full removal of embargo.