UN Security Council Extends Arms Embargo on Somalia and Eritrea

The United Nations recently posted a report on the UN Security Council decision to "Extend the Arms Embargoes on Somalia and Eritrea." Eleven members of the Security Council supported the decision and four (China, Russia, Egypt, and Bolivia) abstained. No country voted against the resolution.

The Somali arms embargo does not apply to the Somali national security forces. The resolution also reaffirms the ban on the import and export of Somali charcoal. While the most recent report of the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea has not in recent years found any conclusive proof of Eritrean support for al-Shabaab, the Security Council emphasized that the Monitoring Group has not been able to visit Eritrea since 2011, thus limiting its ability to investigate the issue. Some members of the Security Council also expressed concern over Eritrea's handling of Djiboutian prisoners of war following their border dispute and continuing Eritrean support for "certain regional armed groups." Eritrea argued that the Security Council did not properly take into account its counter claims.