Addis Abeba – In a joint communique issued at the end of a two-day official visit by Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Ethiopia and Somalia called upon the UN Security Council (UNSC) “to consider the request of the Federal Governments of Somalia for the lifting of the arms embargo imposed on the country for more than 30 years.”
In January 1992 the UN Security Council Resolution 733 established an arms embargo on Somalia in reaction to the violence following the collapse of then Somalia President Mohamed Siad Barre and “deteriorating humanitarian situation” thereafter. Resolution 733 was unanimously adopted.
The joint communique issued this morning came following meeting between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in which the two leaders “agreed to work on specific priorities while taking into account the need to focus on key common issues paramount to the relationship of the two countries.”
The leaders called on the UNSC to lift the arms embargo “to ensure that Somalia is sufficiently equipped to effectively address the security threat posed by the Al Shabab and other terrorist groups.”
“During their discussions, the two leaders were accompanied by high level officials from the two countries. They raised and discussed various issues of mutual and regional concerns ranging from collaboration to overcome threats of terrorism and extremism to bilateral economic cooperation and Regional integration agenda,” the joint communique reads.
Furthermore, the two leaders have also agreed to strengthen the bilateral relations between the the two countries including, collaborations “to effectively collaborate in the fight against their common enemy, terrorism and extremism and directed their respective security agencies to strengthen and enhance existing mechanisms of security cooperation.” AS
