Somali government accused of diverting weapons

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. experts monitoring the partial lifting of an arms embargo on Somalia are accusing the government of “high level and systematic abuses” which have allowed weapons and ammunition to get into the hands of clan leaders, warlords and al-Qaida-linked militants.

The experts recommended that the U.N. Security Council re-impose a full arms embargo when the 12-month partial suspension ends in early March. As a possible alternative, it said the government must be subject to enhanced notification and reporting requirements for arms deliveries, “if not a partial tightening.”