Yemen breaks international ban [Archives:2005/886/Local News]

SANA'A- Oct.12- Yemeni government officials confirmed last week reports that they had sold weapons to what they considered the legal government to be in Somalia. It denied the smuggling of any weapons to Somalia on the basis that the transaction was fair and legal.

The source said in a release to Almithaq, the ruling party news paper, last Monday, 'The Yemeni government in its cooperation with the elected Somali leadership has sent personal weapons as a support to the police.' He said this was done openly with the knowledge of concerned international parties.

The source's release came as a reaction to last Friday's accusations of the Security Council Weapons Experts Committee that observes the weapons ban in Somalia. It spoke of an increase in weapon smuggling to Somalia during the last few months. It spoke of three neighboring countries involved in this increase. They are Yemen, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

As the report considers this a breach to the ban imposed by the UN on Somalia, the Yemeni government admits that it sent 5000 pieces of personal weapons to Abdulla Yosif's interim government, which they describe as the legal government. This 'legal government' is internationally recognized as one of many rival factions loyal to particular warlords.

The experts' committee is not interested in the identity of who the weapons are being sent to, because they speak of Somalia as dominated by warring militias. The difference of opinion is getting Yemen into hot water, but with international resources already so overstretched international grumbling is unlikely to have any real teeth.
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