UN Security Council Passes Resolution Ending Sanctions on Eritrea (November 14, 2018) [1]
On November 14, 2018, the United Nations Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, lifted [3] the arms embargo, travel ban, assets freeze, and targeted sanctions on Eritrea, while also renewing sanctions against Somalia. The Council noted its support for Somalia’s efforts to reduce threats to peace and security posed by Al-Shabaab and affiliates linked to ISIL, while also condemning violations of the arms embargo in Somalia, including when this results in supplies reaching these groups. The Council also ended the mandate of the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group, to take place on December 16, and replaced it with a Panel of Experts on Somalia tasked with overseeing the remaining sanctions on that country. The Panel of Experts will also continue the investigations started by the Monitoring Group related to the export to Somalia of various chemicals that may be used as oxidizers in creating improvised explosive devices. As noted in the press release [4], after the unanimous passage of the resolution, “Council members took the floor to hail a ‘new era of peaceful cooperation’ in the Horn of Africa.”