Date: Thursday, 15 November 2018
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of a resolution lifting the sanctions imposed on Eritrea since December 2009.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted the UN-drafted resolution lifting the arms embargo, all travel bans, asset freezes and targeted sanctions against Eritrea.
“Yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) decision is a further step towards the consolidation of the recent positive developments in the Horn of Africa, marked by an improvement of bilateral relations between the countries of the region, as well as by a renewed determination to promote good neighborliness and foster regional cooperation,” a statement attributed to Mahamat read in part.
Mahamat in the statement also lauded the developments, saying they were in line with the AU’s agenda to end wars around the continent by 2020.
The Security Council imposed the sanctions on Eritrea in 2009 for its alleged support of Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia, a claim Asmara has long denied.
The resolution acknowledged that UN monitors have “not found conclusive evidence that Eritrea supports Al-Shabaab” and declared that the sanctions and arms embargo ended with the adoption of the measure.
