Mogadishu (Somalistandard) – The United Nations (UN) has accused Turkey of violating an arms embargo by providing armed drones to Somalia without notification to and approval from the UN.
The confidential intelligence obtained by the UN investigators indicated that Turkey delivered Bayraktar TB2 drones, which are manufactured by a company owned by the family of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Mogadishu on December 6, 2021, via two Airbus A400M military cargo planes operated by the Turkish Air Force.
Turkey failed to file for an exemption with the UN before sending the drones, which explicitly specifies clearance before the delivery of any arms to Somalia, the panel’s report said.
In response to letters of inquiry from the UN, Turkey claimed that the drones were intended for the use of Turkish troops stationed in Somalia and to contribute to the fight against terrorism.
However, Turkish media reported that Somali officers were undergoing training in Turkey on how to use the drones as early as March 2021 and reportedly took possession of five drones, challenging the official narrative of the Turkish government.
UN teams have said they monitored and registered weapons and ammunition officially imported by the Somali government since the partial lifting of the arms embargo in 2013. Countries that send arms and weapons need to notify the UN and secure approval for such shipments.
According to UN Security Council Resolution 2607 (2021), the arms embargo does not apply to supplies of weapons or military equipment for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia) and the African Union Mission to Somalia (ATMIS), a peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union in Somalia with the approval of the UN.
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