Don't lift Somalia arms embargo, UN told
2013-03-05 11:40
New York - The human rights group Amnesty International
warned the UN Security Council on Monday not to lift the 21-year-old arms
embargo in place for Somalia as called for by a draft resolution, describing
the idea as premature.
The 15-nation council is considering lifting the UN arms
embargo on Somalia's government for one year so it can beef up its army to
combat Islamist fighters, according to a draft resolution obtained by Reuters.
"Without adequate safeguards, arms transfers may expose
Somali civilians to even greater risk and worsen the humanitarian
situation," said Gemma Davies, Amnesty International's Somalia researcher.
"For several years, the arms embargo on Somalia has
been continuously violated with arms supplied to armed groups on all sides of
the conflict. The flow of arms to Somalia has fuelled serious human rights
abuses committed during the conflict," Davies said in a statement.
The Amnesty statement described the idea as
"premature."
The Somalia government has asked for the arms embargo to be
lifted and the United States has been pushing the council to agree, but Britain
and France have been wary of removing the ban in a country already awash with
weapons, diplomats say.
The draft resolution, drawn up by Britain and obtained by
Reuters, appears to propose a compromise: lifting the arms embargo for one year
but keeping restrictions in place on heavy weapons such as surface-to-air
missiles, howitzers and cannon.
The draft says the arms embargo shall not apply to the
deliveries of other "weapons or military equipment or the provision of
advice, assistance or training, intended solely for the development of the
security forces of the federal government of Somalia and to provide security for
the Somali people."
The Security Council imposed the arms embargo in 1992 to cut
the flow of arms to feuding warlords, who a year earlier had ousted dictator
Mohamed Siad Barre and plunged Somalia into civil war. Last year Somalia held
its first national vote since 1991 to elect a president and prime minister.
Russia wants consensus
The council plans to vote on the draft resolution later this
week before the mandate of the 17 600-strong African Union peacekeeping force,
known as Amisom, expires on Thursday.
Council diplomats said the idea of lifting the arms embargo
remains contentious and the draft resolution could be amended before it is put
to a vote.
"We must reach consensus," Russian UN Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin, president of the Security Council this month, said about the
proposal to lift the arms embargo for a year.
"Is it going to be a blanket lifting of the arms
embargo or something more nuanced?" he said. "This is something which
is still an ongoing matter of discussions among council members."
Some council members are concerned about the security risks
involved with removing the embargo. Other diplomats say it is important to make
acquiring arms easier for the Somali government, which they say is affected
more than the rebels by the arms embargo.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last month suggested
the Security Council consider lifting the arms embargo to help rebuild
Somalia's forces and consolidate military gains against al-Qaeda-linked al
Shabaab militants.
The Security Council's Monitoring Group on Somalia and
Eritrea, an independent panel that reports on compliance with UN sanctions,
have warned that the Islamist militants in Somalia are receiving weapons from
distribution networks linked to Yemen and Iran, diplomats have told Reuters.
A UN diplomat also said the UN monitors had reported that
some al-Shabaab militants had infiltrated units of the Somali security forces.
