NAIROBI, March 7 (Reuters) – An Australian Navy ship has seized an enormous cache of weapons close to Oman’s coast from a fishing vessel certain for Somalia, the navy mentioned on Monday, exposing a doable violation of a U.N. Security Council arms embargo.

The United Nations has a decades-long arms embargo in place in opposition to Somalia, which has been mired in battle since civil battle broke out in 1991.

The Australian navy, which patrols waters across the Indian Ocean as a part of a world maritime pressure, mentioned it had seized practically 2,000 AK-47 rifles, 100 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 49 PKM machine weapons, 39 PKM spare barrels and 20 mortar tubes from the fishing vessel.

“The weapons were seized under United Nations sanctions, which authorise interdiction on the high seas of illicit weapons destined for Somalia,” the navy mentioned in a press release.

In 2013, the U.N Security Council eased a number of the embargo restrictions, permitting the Western-backed authorities in Mogadishu to purchase gentle weapons to bolster its armed forces within the battle in opposition to Islamist al Shabaab insurgents, who’re aligned with al Qaeda.

One Western safety supply mentioned the road worth of the Australian Navy haul seemed to be greater than $2 million.

The Australian Navy didn’t point out who was the meant recipient of the weapons, which have been discovered hidden below fishing nets. As nicely as al Shabaab, some regional states in Somalia function and equip their very own militias with out the approval of the central authorities.

A Somali authorities spokesman couldn’t instantly touch upon the Australian Navy assertion.

The navy mentioned personnel from HMAS Darwin had boarded the fishing vessel about 170 nautical miles (313 km) off the coast of Oman to confirm which flag it was crusing below they usually decided that it was stateless.

HMAS Darwin is within the area as a part of the Combined Task Force 150, accountable for counter-terrorism operations, curbing piracy and drug smuggling. (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Drazen Jorgic and Gareth Jones)

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