The disturbed political situation in Somalia has forced the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against it. According to media reports, some individuals and groups of the nation who are considered to be threats to the international peace and security have been levied with travel ban. The UN Security Council has also decided to freeze the financial assets of these individuals. Apart from these, an arms embargo has also been imposed on them.

 

However, the sanctions have nothing to do with the incidents of hijackings of ships by pirates of the Somali coast. Over the last couple of months, the pirates in the Gulf of Aden have created havoc in the region. Around fourteen piracy attempts have been executed in the Somali coast over a period of 10 days. Earlier this week, a cargo vessel with India crew members was freed off after giving huge amount of ransom to the pirates.

 

As per official sources, the recent sanctions against Somalia were imposed after watching the continued lack of security in the country. The UN Security Council is hopeful that the sanctions will help to strengthen the process of ending lawlessness and violence destabilising the transitional government. According to South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, the ongoing fighting has further deteriorated the humanitarian situation in Somalia.

 

The violence in the country has displaced a huge number of civilians. Dumisani Kumal predicts that peace can not be restored in the country until and unless certain groups lay down their arms. He urged these groups to become the warriors for peace instead of being agents of war. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is also planning to deploy a peacekeeping operation to help the transitional government carry out the peace programme to end the civil war in Somalia.