Handguns provided by Turkey to Somali government are traded on open arms market in Mogadishu

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Handguns provided by Turkey to Somali government are traded on open arms market in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – Turkish provided handguns to the Federal Government of Somalia are traded in the arms market in Mogadishu amid a serious scandal related to the leaked weapons sold in the open market, Kaab TV reports.

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"Each pistol is being traded for $3,000 to $3,400," one arms dealer told Kaab TV as he spoke on anonymity condition.

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – Turkish provided handguns to the Federal Government of Somalia are traded in the arms market in Mogadishu amid a serious scandal related to the leaked weapons sold in the open market, Kaab TV reports.

Somali government security sources told Kaab TV that 50 Turkey-made, Girsan MC28SA pistols are now being traded in the arms markets of Mogadishu.

The arms dealers in the city said they have received the brand new pistols and are now procuring them in at least two of the city’s arms markets.

"Each pistol is being traded for $3,000 to $3,400,” one arms dealer told Kaab TV as he spoke on anonymity condition.

The pistols are part of a new shipment of 100 handguns — all Girsan MC28SA pistols — provided by Turkey in support of the Somalia’s federal ministry of defense, according to a senior officer at the ministry.

"The Minister of Defense Abduqadir Mohamed Noor (Jama) and the Commander of the Somali National Army, General Odowaa Yusuf Rage, had requested 100 pistols from the Turkish government. The Turkish government provided this shipment of 100 Girsan MC28SA pistols to the Ministry of Defense through its military attaché at the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu,” said the officer who spoke to Kaab TV.

Arms market in Mogadishu

According to officials privy to the matter, the 100 pistols were not registered at the weapons marking and registration office inside Mogadishu’s Halane compound

"When the pistols were delivered, they were not go through the weapons marking and registration office in Halane. It was transferred directly to the Minister of Defense and the Commander of the Armed Forces who also took over the pistols: 50 for the minister and 50 for the commander,” he added.

In the past week, the new pistols, which according to the arms dealers, are full-sized pistols with high quality, have entered the market, leading to the fact that senior security officials have informed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud about the matter.

Upon receiving this news, Villa Somalia had asked the Turkish Embassy to provide the manifest and the request letter from the defense ministry. The Turkish Embassy then dispatched the documents to the president’s office confirming the delivery of the 100 pistols.

As one arms dealer said, local dealers continue to facilitate unregulated arms trading in parts of Mogadishu, and evidence shows that illicit weapons sold in markets include government-owned weapons and ammunition.

"Usually every weapon that comes to the market is obtained from the government army. There is a small amount of weapons that come from ordinary people such as clan militias or by sea from Yemen and Iran,” said Abdi Yare, an arms broker in Mogadishu.

Minister of Defense Abduqadir Mohamed Noor (Jama) and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud address newly trained security forces in Mogadishu on Friday 7 April 2023.

Following this revelation, president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is said to have summoned both the defense minister Abduqadir Mohamed Noor (Jama) and the Commander of the Somali National Army, General Odowaa Yusuf Rage.

Corruption and lack of accountability have an impact on Somalia’s security. Local weapons experts say weapons used by the terrorist groups al-Shabaab and Daesh for their attacks come from the government forces and some are bought from the country’s arms markets.

Arms embargo in Somalia

The United Nations imposed an arms embargo on Somalia in 1992 in order to reduce and limit the weapons used by the tribal militias that overthrew the dictatorial government of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 when the country plunged into a civil war.

In November 2022, the United Nations Security Council voted to extend the arms embargo on Somalia. Western governments that submitted this resolution said that Al-Shabaab still poses a major threat to the peace and stability in the region, and that there is a need to continue sanctions to reduce their activities.

As many as 11 governments out of the 15 permanent members of the Security Council supported the continuation of the arms embargo on Somalia, with Russia, China, Gabon and Ghana abstaining in support of the call by the Somali government, backed by the African Union, to lift the arms embargo.

This resolution, which was originally brought by the British government, also shows concern about the continued presence of the Daesh group (ISIL) in the Horn of Africa.

Somalia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abukar Osman, expressed his displeasure at the time of the extension of the arms embargo.