Hiiraan Online

Mogadishu (HOL) - Illegal arms smuggling between Somalia and Yemen and investigations into the finances of terrorist group Al-Shabaab were the focus of two recent meetings held by the United Nations Security Council on Monday. The council's sanctions committee on Somalia, led by Ishikane Kimihiro of Japan, also addressed recommendations contained in the panel's final report for 2022, sent letters to various member states, and received correspondence from Somalia regarding charcoal.

During his briefing to the council, Kimihiro revealed that the Security Council had eased the partially lifted arms embargo through resolution 2662 (2022) to support Somalia's development of its security institutions. The resolution included recommendations to reduce existing Somali charcoal stockpiles and renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Somalia. Furthermore, the resolution changed the committee's name to highlight its focus on Al-Shabaab.

Ishikane Kimihiro also reported that the committee held two informal consultations during the reporting period. On November 29, 2022, the committee met with the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) concerning Yemen to discuss weapons smuggling between Somalia and Yemen. The committee also received a presentation on the Panel of Experts' work programme for 2023 on February 17. The panel will continue to investigate Al-Shabaab's finances, potential arms embargo violations, and the charcoal ban.

In addition, the committee sent letters regarding the recommendations contained in the panel's final report for 2022 to various member states, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, and the European Union. It also sent a note verbale to all member states. The committee recently received two letters from Somalia relating to charcoal, one concerning charcoal onboard the vessel MV Fox and the other to existing charcoal stockpiles.

During the briefing, Abukar Dahir Osman (Baale), the Permanent Representative of Somalia to the UN, called for the complete lifting of the arms embargo imposed on his government. He warned against the growing disconnect between the sanctions regime and the evolving situation on the ground, especially in the fight against Al-Shabaab. Baale emphasized that sanctions should target those who threaten peace and security in his country and must be tailored to the government's strategy of degrading Al-Shabaab militarily, depriving the group of resources, and countering its violent extremism ideology. He also urged member states to implement relevant Security Council resolutions on countering terrorist financing. Baale reiterated his government's commitment to assuming full security responsibility from ATMIS by 2024 and working closely with council members on the total lifting of the arms embargo.

According to a report by the Institute for Security Studies, arms smuggling to Somalia is facilitated by a network of local and international actors, with weapons worth millions of dollars often smuggled via sea routes. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime has also uncovered evidence of Iranian weapons, including Type-56 assault rifles, being smuggled into Somalia.