Partial Lifting of Arms Embargo under Tighter Protocol

By Faisal A. Roble March 08, 2013

After concluding the debate on lifting the arms embargo on Somalia, Britain's U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant briefed reporters about a watered down version: "What we have tried to do is draw a balance between those who wanted an unrestricted lifting of the arms embargo and those who felt it was premature to lift the arms embargo."

With that, on March 6, 2013, the United Nations Security Council adopted a lukewarm resolution to partially lift the arms embargo which the world community imposed on Somalia at the height of its civil war – 1992. 

This partial lifting comes on the heels of the President of the Federal Government of Somalia’s resolve to obliterate at least two Articles of the newly adopted Federal Constitution.  Chapter 5, article 53, Sections (1), (2) read as follows:

	1.	In the spirit of inter-governmental cooperation the Federal Government shall consult Members States on negotiations relating to foreign aid, trade, treaties, or other major issues related to international agreements.
	2.	Where negotiations particularly affect Federal Member State interests, the negotiating delegation of the Federal Government shall be supplemented by representatives of the Federal Member States.

Article 50 of the same Chapter delineates the “Principles of Federalism in the Federal Republic of Somalia,’ mainly the relationships along the federal – states axis.  Although the spirit and intent of all the seven Sections of this Article are not respected by Hassan Sheikh’s government, Sections (c – mutual relationship to strength unity) and (e- fair distribution of all types of resources) are severely violated.

Hassan Sheikh’s government also violated the spirit of the Federal Constitution by its fastidious push to usurp the constitutional powers of the states and nominate its own administrators to some regions.  In a recent leaked document given to IGAD, it is stated that: “regions like Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba, Bay and Bakool are not ready to form states either due to Al Shabaab’s control in geographical areas within these regions or due to the lack of local administrations in the regions.” With its new weapons, the government in Mogadishu would attempt to dictate emerging state as to who is to become future administrators.Continued