The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday voted to extend an arms embargo imposed on Eritrea and Somalia.
The fifteen-member of the UNSC in a majority vote of 11 against four adopted resolution 2385 to renew sanctions regime against the two Horn of Africa nations. Those abstained in the vote were Bolivia, China, Egypt and Russia.
The decision of the council comes barely a week after a panel of experts called for the lifting of sanctions particularly on Eritrea. The panel in a report said there was no conclusive evidence that Eritrea was supporting Al-Qaeda linked insurgents Al-Shabaab group based in Somalia.
Eritrea arms sanctions were backed by US in 2009 alleging the country was supporting the Islamists terrorist group in Somalia. Eritrea has termed the sanctions as ‘useless and unjustified.’
Somalia also has been under a sanction regime though it’s faced by attacks from the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab. Security watchers say the arms embargo is partly to blame for the inability for Somalia Army to effectively match rampaging terror combatants.
