Somalia and Ethiopia have stated that they will work together to protect each other’s territories, including requesting that the United Nations Security Council lift an age-old arms embargo on Mogadishu.
At the conclusion of his two-day state visit to Addis Abeba, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed a ten-point declaration with his Ethiopian counterpart, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, “to nurture and strengthen the longstanding bilateral ties and relationships between the two countries and peoples based on respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of both countries,” according to the communiqué.
The priority will be to request that Somalia regain its power in order to purchase weapons and stabilise its security forces.
“The leaders call on the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) to consider the Federal Governments of Somalia’s request for the lifting of the country’s arms embargo, which has been in place for more than 30 years, to ensure that Somalia is adequately equipped to effectively address the security threat posed by the Al Shabaab terrorist group,” the communiqué continued.
Somalia has been barred from purchasing weapons directly, an old embargo imposed in the early 1990s to prevent warlords from taking over the country during the civil war. However, the ban has been repeatedly extended in the past, with the intent of targeting al-Shabaab militants. Today, Somalia can only purchase certain weapons with the permission of the UN Security Council’s sanctions committee.
Donors and other countries assisting Somalia in rebuilding its army may also donate weapons, as long as the Council is notified.