Somalia president hails lifting of arms embargo as government vows to wipe out al-Shabab militants

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has welcomed 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. Last month, Mohamud pledged to wipe out al-Shabaab by Dec. 2024. Somalia was placed under the embargo in 1992  to stop the sale of weapons to warlords who toppled former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.