Identify in detail the arms brokers who transact business with and or on behalf of the arms market.

Does the Government of Yemen buy arms from or sell arms to the arms market?

Arms purchases and sales at the Irtogte arms market during the mandate period

Arms market

Arms control

Additionally, the Monitoring Group is convinced that another arms market, located in Yemen, operates in conjunction with the Bakaarah arms market by functioning as a continuing source for the arms routinely received by the Bakaarah arms market.

With regard to the second factor affecting arms supplies to BAM, the Monitoring Group believes that Abdullahi Yusuf, TFG President and former President of Puntland, is very well aware of BAM arms supply channels and the fact that members of the opposition were the principal beneficiaries of arms sales at BAM.

In addition, the opposition was supplied with arms by criminal groups or arms trading networks through the medium of the Bakaraaha Arms Market (BAM) at Irtogte in Mogadishu.

Arms purchases and sales at the Bakaraaha Arms Market investigated during the mandate period

Some States that have reported freezing assets have not specified the amounts, and there have been no reports of listed individuals who have been stopped at borders or prevented from acquiring arms.

The Monitoring Group uncovered 34 individual arms shipments or violations of the arms embargo.

The flow of arms into and through BAM is a good barometer of arms flows into and around Somalia, since the Monitoring Group believes that arms coming into Somalia via seaports, airports and roads are, to a significant degree, channelled to BAM.

Scope of the arms embargo

Arms flow into Somalia

Their arsenal is very powerful.

D. Bakaaraha arms market

The Monitoring Group suggested that joint efforts in the regulation of arms brokering would significantly strengthen the effectiveness of the arms embargo.

The report mentioned that the Shan State National Army (SSNA) has withdrawn from the ceasefire agreement.

During the current mandate, the Monitoring Group investigated violations of the arms embargo in terms of shipments of arms into Somalia that went directly to the intended recipients and shipments of arms that went into and through the Bakaaraha arms market, especially the Irtogte market located in Mogadishu.

Under what authority does the arms market operate?

The Arms and Explosives Act 2002 regulates the manufacture, use, sale, storage, transport, importation, exportation and possession of arms and explosives.

On 7 May 2005 the lorries containing the arms arrived at Hudur, the capital city of the Bakool region, and temporarily stored the arms at the Hudur police station.

The Monitoring Group believes that the effect of this action is a noticeable downturn in arms shipments reaching BAM and of sales to key opposition members buying there.

It is significant to note that on 22 May 2005, approximately one week before the second battle of Baidoa, a very large arms shipment arrived from Yemen, via the arms trading networks, at BAM.

The arms embargo violations originate from two basic sources illegal arms trading networks channelling arms to BAM from outside Somalia and direct State contributions to TFG or the opposition.

In Somalia, the road transport network plays a very crucial role in transporting arms to the Bakaaraha arms market.

But it's not about fire and brimstone either.

It must also be recalled from past reports that the larger arms dealers at BAM have storage facilities.

It has also seized quantities of drugs and weapons in cooperation with the naval forces and the coalition forces present in the region.

In addition, the Bakaaraha arms market inside Somalia, particularly in Mogadishu, and the arms market in the neighbouring Gulf State continue to play central roles as sources of arms that fuel violent clashes and remain an obstacle to peace and stability in Somalia.

The army started firing their guns. People were scrambling.

BAM Bakaraaha Arms Market

Many parties were engaged in the arms transactions.

Accordingly, the arms trading networks were forced to exercise greater care in the movement of arms shipments from Yemen to Somalia across the Gulf of Aden.

The demand for financial sources by major parties to the conflict in Somalia to fund the arms purchases has soared, along with the arms prices.

Firstly, arms available at BAM, during the early part of the mandate period, were affected by the surveillance activities of the foreign naval task forces operating in the Gulf of Aden.

The information contained in the previous report of the Monitoring Group (S 2004 604) concerning the Bakaarah arms market, and based on the continuing work of the Monitoring Group in connection with the same arms market, it is very clear that arms shipments moving into and through the market are a fundamental source of arms that helps perpetuate and provide fuel for violent clashes and instability in Somalia.

They include Abdullah Yusuf Farih, a Somali national who receives weapons in Somalia, and Ali Al Dharafi, who supplies and sells weapons to the band.

Recent arms shipments have strengthened the military capacity of opposition elements inside Somalia.

But what is doing with gun industries?

Included among the types of arms in the shipments were anti aircraft guns and mines.

That can take place as soon as the ceasefire is respected.

The flow of weapons from Ethiopia to warlords and then to BAM helps to explain another source of small arms and ammunition available at BAM.

As described above, the military component would actively participate in and support the following bodies established by the Ceasefire Agreement to assist in its implementation the Ceasefire Joint Military Committee, the Area Joint Military Committees and the joint military teams.

The Monitoring Group uncovered 34 individual arms shipments or violations of the arms embargo from February 2004 to the time of writing the present report.