UN clears Eritrea over allegations of arming Somali rebels

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

January 17, 2012 (ADDIS ABABA) – A UN monitoring panel says it has disproved allegations that Eritrea was supplying weapons to Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militants towards the end of 2011.

Last November, the Kenyan government accused the Asmara regime of supplying planeloads of armaments to the militant group in Somalia and asked the UN Security Council to investigate the alleged arms flowing from Eritrea to Al-Shabaab bases in Southern Somalia.

Nairobi further threatened to take unspecified action against Eritrea triggering a diplomatic row between the two East African countries.

Eritrea immediately dismissed the accusations saying it was “totally fabricated” and demanded on the UN Security Council expedite an independent, full and fair inquiry over the allegations.

A preliminary report by the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reveled that Eritrea didn’t supply weapons to Al-Shabaab in contrast to what was alleged by Kenyan intelligence.

“The Monitoring Group pursued its investigation into alleged arms deliveries by air to the Al Shabaab controlled airfields in Southern Somalia in late October and early November 2011”, the report said.

“The SEMG’s preliminary assessment is that these reports were incorrect and that the alleged deliveries to Baidoa probably did not take place.”

However, the UN panel said this report is only preliminary and the issue awaits further investigation before the final outcome.

Eritrea is often accused of financing and logistically supporting the al-Qaida-linked Somalia extremist group – an allegation Asmara denies.

Last month, the UN Security Council imposed additional sanctions against Eritrea in response to its continued negative role to destabilise region.

Unspecified number of Eritrean top political and military officials has been affected by the latest and past sanctions which include travel ban and assets freeze.

(ST)