Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud has asked the UN to lift the arms embargo in place since 1992, the longest in the history of the United Nations.
With our correspondent in New York, Carrie Nooten
The head of the world food program has called for more humanitarian aid because 7.5 million people need it. But problem, only 28% of the budget has been funded this year, the WFP will therefore have to cut its aid in half.
Finally, the Somali president, who is preparing for the final departure of the UN mission at the end of 2024, has called for the total lifting of the arms embargo. And to show the seriousness of his request, Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud came in person to plead.
For President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud, it is time for the Council to end the longest embargo of the United Nations because for him, the Somalia of 2023 has nothing to do with the Somalia of 1992 which saw the regime of penalties apply. He therefore requested a reassessment.
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To support his request, the Head of State Somali detailed in detail the storage system for weapons and ammunition set up in Mogadishu, and their management thanks to a comprehensive and centralized database, as well as a draft law regulating the creation, possession or storage of weapons.
It was widely supported by the three African states on the Security Council: for them, it is crucial that Somalia can raise a strong army to assume its security responsibilities, and liberate the territories still in the hands of Shebab terrorists in the center of the country.
But the United Kingdom and the United States considered that the reference objectives allowing a review of the sanctions regime had not yet been sufficiently achieved, which jeopardized the lifting of sanctions next September.