UN to monitor arms in Somalia after partial lifting of embargo

The UN Security Council will continue to monitor the flow of weapons in Somalia after it allowed for the first time and for one year only the government in Mogadishu to import arms and military equipment, dpa cited diplomats as saying on Wednesday. The 15-nation council decided to renew for another year the mandate of the African Union mission in Somalia, authorizing it to use 'all necessary measures' to implement its tasks. The mission, comprising more than 17,700 military and civilian personnel, will remain in Somalia until February 2014 to assist the federal government in Mogadishu fight the threats of al-Shabaab group and other militants. The council said in a resolution adopted unanimously that the government can for the first time since the 1990s import weapons and military equipment needed to train and develop the country's security forces. Somalian government officials had argued for the lifting the embargo so Mogadishu can rebuild its security forces challenged by armed opposition groups.