Ethiopia, Somalia Call on UNSC to Lift Somalia Arms Embargo

Addis Ababa, September 30/2022 (Walta) – Ethiopia and Somalia called upon the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)  to consider the request of the Federal Governments of Somalia for the lifting of the arms embargo imposed on the country for more than 30 years.

The two countries made the call in a joint communiqué issued at the end of a two-day official working visit by Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed to Ethiopia.

In January 1992 the UN Security Council passed Resolution 733 that established an arms embargo on Somalia following the collapse of the then Somalia President Mohamed Siad Barre.

According to reports the security situation in Somalia has deteriorated following the collapse of the administration of Siad Barre which called for “humanitarian intervention,”

The joint communiqué issued this morning following the meeting held between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in which the two leaders “agreed to work on specific priorities while taking into account the need to focus on key common issues paramount to the relationship of the two countries.”

The leaders called on the UNSC to lift the arms embargo “to ensure that Somalia is sufficiently equipped to effectively address the security threat posed by the Al-Shabab and other terrorist groups.”

“During their discussions, the two leaders were accompanied by high level officials from the two countries. They raised and discussed various issues of mutual and regional concerns ranging from collaboration to overcome threats of terrorism and extremism to bilateral economic cooperation and Regional integration agenda,” the joint communiqué reads.

The two leaders have also agreed to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries including, collaborations “to effectively collaborate in the fight against their common enemy, terrorism and extremism and directed their respective security agencies to strengthen and enhance existing mechanisms of security cooperation.”