Thursday July 18, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud chaired an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council in Mogadishu on Thursday following the looting of two truckloads of weapons in central Somalia on Monday.
Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre, Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, and the Ministers of Justice, Defense, Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Internal Security attended the meeting, along with commanders of military forces, intelligence, and police, the national security adviser, and the director of the presidential palace.
Security agencies and National Security Adviser Hussein Macalin briefed the council about the weapons looted in the Abudwak district in the Galgadud region on Monday, July 15, 2024.
During the meeting, the council instructed the Ministry of Internal Security to submit a detailed report and recommendations on illegal weapons smuggling into the country. They called for those responsible to be held accountable and for measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The council agreed to finalize the National Policy on Arms Purchase and submit it to the Council of Ministers immediately. They also agreed to ban the sale and trade of firearms. They urged the Ministry of Justice and law enforcement agencies to quickly prosecute all those involved in this illegal activity.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stressed the importance of strictly implementing the Arms and Ammunition Control laws, emphasizing that the success in lifting the arms embargo is fundamental to implementing the government's Arms Control Policy.
At least 12 people were killed in the Abudwak district as government soldiers and local militias fought over two truckloads of weapons illegally brought over the border from Ethiopia. The incident occurred in Shiilamaow village, about 20 kilometers northwest of Abudwak, close to the Ethiopian border.
The Internal Security Ministry reported that government security forces had seized the weapons from "illegal weapons traders" and were escorting them when armed militias erected a checkpoint and intercepted the arms. The local militias overpowered government forces after receiving reinforcements from clan members, the official added.
The arms that fell into civilian hands included DshK and PKM machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, pistols, and ammunition, according to a security official.