Iran in violation of UN arms embargo in Somalia

Telegraph:

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A report given to the Security Council today finds that Iran is one of seven countries breaking a UN arms embargo by providing weapons to the Islamic radicals who control most of southern and central Somalia, including the capital, Mogadishu.

Three illegal arms shipments from Teheran are detailed in the 86-page report. One consignment which reached Somalia in July included 1,000 machine guns, 45 surface-to-air missiles, M-79 rocket launchers and land mines.

After the arrival of this shipment, the UN says that Iran promised the Islamists further weapons – but only in return for uranium, presumably for use in Teheran's nuclear programme.

Two Iranians were sent to Mogadishu in order to negotiate this deal. Somalia's recoverable uranium deposits are modest, totalling about 6,600 tonnes, compared with 326,000 tonnes in Canada, the world's biggest producer.

But Somalia collapsed into anarchy 15 years ago when its central government was destroyed. The Islamist movement, styling itself the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts, is now believed to control the areas where uranium is present.

Iran appears to be trying to win the right to exploit these deposits, which could then be shipped to Teheran through Mogadishu's large port.

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Don't hold your breath waiting for the UN to act on this report. What is interesting about beyond the details is the specificity of the allegations. Obviously someone had some excellent intelligence on these transactions. Eritrea is the other big arms supplier playing the poor African equivalent of balance of power against Ethiopia. This story linked Syria to the 10 countries in violation of the UN embargo.