Somalia's security forces are seen near the the Afrik Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Jan. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Hassan Elmi/IANS)
In a statement, Information Minister Daud Aweis said the embargo lift will help modernize the country’s armed forces…reports Asian Lite News
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed Saturday the U.N. Security Council vote to lift an arms embargo imposed on the Horn of Africa nation more than 30 years ago.
The 15-member council unanimously voted Friday night in favor of the British-drafted resolution to lift the weapons ban. However, France was the only member to abstain when voting on another resolution to reimpose an arms embargo on al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants, saying the resolution lacked references to the territorial disputes between Djibouti and Eritrea.
In a statement, Information Minister Daud Aweis said the embargo lift will help modernize the country’s armed forces. “Somalia has been grappling with significant security challenges, including the presence of extremist groups such as al-Shabab. The Somali government needs access to modern arms and equipment to effectively combat these threats and maintain security within its borders,” the statement read.
The Somali president, in a televised statement soon after the adoption of the resolution, said the embargo lift “means that we are now free to purchase any weapons needed,” adding that “friendly nations and allies” can now “provide us with the necessary weapons without any limitations or restrictions.”
Somalia was placed under the embargo in 1992 to stop the sale of weapons to warlords who toppled former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The ouster led to decades of civil war and instability in the country as the warlords fought against each other.
Last month, Mohamud pledged to wipe out the Islamist group, al-Shabaab, by Dec. 2024. The militant group has lost swaths of territory since the government backed by local militias, African Union troops and Western powers, launched an extensive offensive against it in May.
Somalia has been plagued by years of conflict and has for decades heavily depended on the support of African Union forces, as well as Western powers such as the United States and Turkey, to maintain security and counter the threat posed by Islamic militant groups operating within the country.
As it stands, any embargo requires unanimity from the 27 EU member states. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted, the EU has imposed five rounds of sanctions on Russia targeting government officials, transportation and banks … reports Nathan Morley, Guo Mingfang…reports Asian Lite News
The European Union (EU) leaders have agreed to block more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports in a set of watered-down measures that will keep Moscow’s pipelines flowing. The partial ban, announced at an extraordinary summit in Brussels on Monday, replaces an original proposal to sanction all Russian oil imports. However, resistance from Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban – whose country relies largely on Russian-provided energy resources – forced the compromise.
Now, immediate sanctions – to be legally endorsed on Wednesday – will only impact Russian oil being carried into the EU by tanker, which amounts to two-thirds of the total imports from Russia.
“There is obviously a frustration with what Orban is doing because it shows a sense of disunity inside the European Union,” Alexander Stubb, Finland’s former prime minister and foreign minister, told Xinhua.
As it stands, any embargo requires unanimity from the 27 EU member states. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted, the EU has imposed five rounds of sanctions on Russia targeting government officials, transportation and banks.
Now, the real question, according to some European analysts, is how much economic pain Europeans are willing to take in their support of Ukraine and in their desire to see Russia punished.
“There are differences. And those differences are, if you like, natural,” Paul Taylor, senior fellow at Friends of Europe, a not-for-profit think-tank for European Union policy, told Xinhua.
Taylor questioned what would happen when oil is imported more cheaply by pipeline to a number of central European countries, while the other countries have to import oil from the open market at higher prices.
“Does that create inequalities within the EU market?” he asked.
The oil import compromise followed weeks of squabbling which highlighted a series of issues straining European unity.
As the cost-of-living crisis worsens – sending energy and food prices soaring – some European countries, such as Cyprus, are feeling the economic cost of the conflict.
Earlier this month, a parliamentary committee in Nicosia called on the government to seek exemptions from some of its sanctions against Moscow, citing their damaging impact on the economy.
Furthermore, strains are already showing in the tourism sector which previously attracted thousands of guests from Russia. At the same time, realtors are angry at banning property sales to Russian buyers.
“Countries are having to make painful adjustments,” said Taylor. “Germany thought it could go on eternally using cheap Russian energy to make manufactured products that were sold competitively. Germany is going to adapt and adjust.”
To make matters worse, the eurozone’s economic growth slowed in the first quarter, as inflation hit a record high in April, with energy prices up 38 percent on an annual basis.
Beyond sanctions, clear differences are emerging on other issues too. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists on an urgent start of the procedure towards full EU membership for his country, a call which has received a mixed response from Europe.
Berlin and Paris are especially cautious, with the latter expressing concern that Ukraine needs time to rebuild the economy, stamp-out corruption, and implement far-reaching legal reforms.
And although there is little enthusiasm for further European enlargement in France, the Netherlands and Austria, Taylor argued there could eventually be support for giving Ukraine “candidate status,” essentially a symbolic gesture.
“That doesn’t mean you join the EU. It doesn’t mean you are anywhere close to joining the EU. It is basically a way of the rest of the EU recognizing that if you meet the conditions, you will one day be a member.”
Meanwhile, as the Russian-Ukraine conflict continues to rage, the issue of EU leaders talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin yields new dilemmas. French President Emmanuel Macron’s call on European countries to maintain dialogue with the Russian president has faced some criticism.
“I always think it is better to talk than not to talk, at the same time it is very difficult to know what we can actually talk about,” said Stubb.
And then there is the question of arms deliveries to Ukraine, as countries like Estonia ship vast quantities of armaments, whilst others take a more reserved approach. “How far do you go up the sale of lethality,” asked Taylor. “The argument against that is you don’t want to start World War Three.”
And amid all this, the question of how the Ukraine conflict will end continues to cause heated debate. Whilst some EU states seek a ceasefire, others support a Ukrainian fightback and Kiev’s military effort.
Stubb said he has problems finding the landing zone on this issue. “That’s why I’m predicting a prolonged and protracted conflict.”
