Eritrea - EP 1

On 23 December 2009, UN Security Council adopted UNSCR 1907, authorizing a travel ban, an asset freeze, and a targeted arms imports embargo on designated individuals and entities, as well as a complete imports and exports arms embargo to and from Eritrea. The resolution also called for inspection of all cargo to and from Somalia and Eritrea, in case of reasonable grounds for violations of the Somalia or Eritrea arms embargo provisions.

The sanctions designation criteria included violating the arms embargo, providing support to armed opposition groups aiming to destabilize the region, enabling violence or terrorism against states or citizens in the region, and obstructing the implementation of UNSCR 1862 (2009), which called on Eritrea to withdraw its forces from Djibouti, acknowledge the border dispute with Djibouti, and abide by its international obligations as a member of the UN. The Security Council in UNSCR 1907 also explicitly called on Eritrea to support the Djibouti Peace Process and the reconciliation efforts in Somalia, and demanded that Eritrea cease all efforts to destabilize or overthrow the TFG, cease arming, training and equipping armed groups, including Al-Shabaab, and stop facilitating travel or providing financial support to individuals and entities subject to UN sanctions. The resolution also demanded that Eritrea makes available information about Djiboutian combatants missing in action since the clashes of 10 to 12 June 2008.

The secondary sanctions on Eritrea, imposed primarily for its role in the Somali conflict, were adopted within the existing framework of the Somali sanctions regime. Rather than creating a separate sanctions regime, UNSCR 1907 expanded the mandate of the Somalia Sanctions Committee and the Monitoring Group on Somalia to include also the sanctions imposed on Eritrea.

On 6 June 2010, Eritrea and Djibouti signed a Qatar-mediated agreement to settle their border dispute peacefully. Eritrea subsequently withdrew its forces from the disputed border area. The agreement provided for a “final and binding” demarcation of the border by a Committee composed of representatives of Djibouti, Eritrea and Qatar, as well as an exchange of prisoners of war. Qatar deployed peacekeepers to the border to monitor the situation until a final agreement between the two countries could be reached.

The June 2011 report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea described Eritrea’s involvement in Somalia as “small but troubling,” but highlighted that Eritrea committed multiple violations of UNSCR 1844 (Somalia) and UNSCR 1907 (Eritrea), including by providing support for armed groups throughout the region (including financing Al-Shabaab in Somalia) and directing a failed bomb attack to disrupt the January 2011 AU Summit in Addis Ababa. Overall, although the financial and military assistance provided by Eritrea had not stopped, it declined during the episode.

Despite the authorization of secondary sanctions on Eritrea, all designations during the episode remained focused on Somali targets. For more information on the developments in Somalia, see Episode 3 of the Somalia sanctions regime.

Mandatory

Secondary sanctions on Eritrea for its violations of UN sanctions on Somalia:

• Arms imports (government forces) and exports embargo on Eritrea;
• Travel ban, asset freeze, and targeted arms imports embargo (on designated individuals/entities).

For the UN sanctions on Somalia during this episode, please see Somalia EP3.