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SOMALIA STILL ARMING TO THE TEETH October 10, 2005
Recent UN report on somalia's arms race and countries that that are ignoring the ams embargo on somalia.
S/2005/625 Security Council
Distr.: General 4 October 2005
<|un_somalia_0705.jpg|Somalia|left|>During the current mandate period, arms embargo violations took a sustained and dramatic upswing, even when compared with violations of the previous period, which were also continual and numerous. Those involved in committing the violations included both members of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and members of the opposition in Mogadishu, as well as certain States in the region, whose more visible involvement in the affairs of Somalia in terms of providing arms to the side of their choice allegedly reflects their own strategic and vital interests.
The dramatic upswing in the flow of arms into Somalia is a manifestation of the highly aggravated political tensions between TFG and the opposition. This has correspondingly given rise to the increasing militarization of both sides, which has resulted in a severely elevated threat of widespread violence in central and southern Somalia.
Members of the opposition who committed arms embargo violations during the current mandate period — some of them dissident members of TFG — are the same individuals who have been identified in past reports of the Monitoring Group as warlords who have demonstrated through their actions and activities that they do not want to see a Government established in Somalia that would infringe or overturn their personal political and economic vested interests. A number of these same individuals have well-established and entrenched local administrations that are a reflection of their vested interests.
The Monitoring Group has obtained a better understanding of the structure and organization of some important local administrations and, as a result, has a better appreciation of the sources of the revenue that accrues to those in charge. In particular, the Monitoring Group has identified certain key revenue generators in the area of marine fisheries and the export of huge commercial quantities of charcoal by cargo ships that provide the bulk of known earned revenue to certain powerful local administrations; reliance on shipping and the fishing industry is necessary to complete the financial circuit. The Monitoring Group firmly believes that revenues thus obtained are used by those in charge to help maintain their militias and for purchasing arms.
Accordingly, the Monitoring Group recommends in the present report that the Security Council consider enhancing and strengthening the existing arms embargo by adopting an integrated arms embargo for the purpose of reducing the financial capacity of individuals in charge of local administrations to buy arms in violation of the arms embargo.
In paragraph 3 (d) of its resolution 1587 (2005), the Security Council requested the Monitoring Group to continue refining and updating information on the draft list of individuals and entities who violate the measures implemented by Member States in accordance with resolution 733 (1992), inside and outside Somalia, and their active supporters, for the purpose of possible future measures by the Council, and to present such information to the Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) as and when the Committee deems appropriate. The Monitoring Group continues to refine and update the draft list.
Full Report including who's buying and who's selling