Security Council Extends Mandate of Group Monitoring Weapons Bans in Somalia

[Jacaylbaro]

Condemning the continued flow of weapons that it said violated its arms embargoes on Somalia and Eritrea, the Security Council this afternoon extended for 12 months the mandate of the group monitoring those measures, expanding its mandate and giving it three additional experts.

 

Unanimously adopting resolution 1916 (2010) under the Charter’s Chapter VII, the Council also condemned the misappropriation and politicization of humanitarian assistance by armed groups in Somalia and called upon all Member States and United Nations units to take all feasible steps to mitigate such practices.

 

Through the resolution, in addition, the Council decided to ease some restrictions and obligations under the sanctions regime to enable the delivery of supplies and technical assistance by international, regional and subregional organizations and to ensure the timely delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance by the United Nations.

 

The expanded mandate of the Monitoring Group includes oversight of the arms embargo on Eritrea and the designation of individuals subjected to a travel ban and asset freeze for violations, as set out in December 2009 by resolution 1907, which demanded that Eritrea cease its support for destabilizing elements in the region.

 

The Council, by today’s action, reiterated its intention to consider further specific action to improve the implementation of the arms embargo, which was first imposed by resolution 733 in 1992 on arms destined for Somalia. The country has been without a functioning Government and beset by factional fighting since 1991.