Recently, African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) captured several weapons from Al-Shabaab followers. Later, it surrendered the weapons over to the Federal Government of Somalia.
The weapons were of the highest caliber. They included RPG launchers and general-purpose machine guns. Several assault rifles were also in the list. AMISOM captured these weapons from Al-Shabaab in an operation conducted in conjunction with Somali security forces.
On Thursday, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, who heads AMISOM, handed the weapons to Somali in a symbolic ceremony. The handing over ceremony took place in Mogadishu, Somalia. Ambassador Madeira said AMISOM’s handover of the weapons complied with UN procedures.
The United Nations has clear procedure for handling light weapons and small arms. AMISOM enjoys a strong mandate from United Nations to guarantee safe, effective management, and storage of weapons it captures anywhere in the country.
According to Ambassador Madeira, this proves that AMISOM enjoys not only the will, but also makes the efforts required to comply with the appropriate UN resolutions. He said, “The handover, though symbolic, allows authorities to access and store all the weapons safely.”