The president of Somalia demands before the UN Security Council the end of the international arms embargo

June 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of Somalia, Hasan Sheikh Mohamud, has demanded this Thursday before the Security Council of the United Nations the end of the international arms embargo in view of the “significant progress” that the country has achieved in recent years.

“Let me say clearly that the Somalia of 2023 is not the Somalia of 1992,” he told the Council, adding that lifting the embargo would allow the country to assert its sovereignty, “effectively” combat terrorism and build a peaceful and prosperous future.

The Somali president has assured that the country has achieved “significant progress” in the management of arms and ammunition and has emphasized the threat posed by the terrorist group Al Shabaab beyond its borders.

“We recognize that the defeat of Al Shabaab requires a multifaceted approach that includes capable and effective security forces and an inclusive state-building process, as well as the ability of the state to provide services to the population,” he explained.

Likewise, he has assured that thanks to the continuous offensives of the Armed Forces, Somalia has registered a “notable reduction in terrorist attacks” in the capital, Mogadishu. “In the last year, we have witnessed more than 70 cities being taken from their jaws,” he detailed.

The Somali president has also detailed other achievements, such as the closure of at least 300 bank accounts linked to the illicit income of Al Shabaab, as well as the hiring of 10,000 new teachers to prop up education in the country.

Somalia has increased offensives against the terrorist group in recent months with the support of local clans and militias as part of a series of decisions taken by the president, who promised upon taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the center of his efforts to stabilize the African country.