Baidoa, 11 July, 2023 – Officers from the Ghana Formed Police Unit (GFPU-3) serving with the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), provided security cover during a one-day working visit by the UN Secretary-General’s Assessment Team to Baidoa, South West State.
The officers led by GFPU- 3 Operations Commander ASP Evans Appiah, secured the visiting delegation upon arrival at the Shanti Gaduud Airport and later provided security escort during visits to State House, the Somali National Army Headquarters and the Baidoa Police Station in Baidoa Town.
The United Nations Weapons and Ammunition (UN -WAM) assessment team led by Ms. Sana Khan, Senior Political Affairs Officer, Security Council Affairs Division, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, held several engagements with the ATMIS Sector-3 Commanders to assess progress against each indicator set out in the benchmarks proposed by the Secretary-General in 2022 to guide the review of the arms embargo measures in relation to Somalia.
The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Somalia in 1992 following the collapse of the central government and the subsequent outbreak of a civil war leading to heavy loss of life and destruction.
The global body has since amended the arms sanctions on several occasions to support peaceful transitions, deter non-constitutional changes, counter terrorism, protect human rights and stop the proliferation which could destabilise the Horn of Africa region.
