Sanctions against Somalia

Background to the sanctions

Since dictator Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, Somalia has lacked a functioning central government. Despite the peace agreement in 2004 which led to the creation of a transitional parliament and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), unrest in the country has continued. In 2006 the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) took control of Mogadishu and large parts of southern and central Somalia. Government forces, backed by Ethiopian troops, toppled the UIC early in 2007. Shortly thereafter, armed resistance against the Ethiopian presence and the TFG was initiated. The Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) was created with the aim of expelling the Ethiopian forces.

Under UN supervision, talks were held in Djibouti between representatives of the TFG and the main branch of the opposition alliance. These resulted in a peace agreement between the parties. The Djibouti process has produced results such as the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops, a coalition government and an expanded parliament. The latter chose a new president and extended the transitional period by two years, until August 2011. Following a period of political deadlock between the speaker and the president, an agreement was entered into in Kampala in June 2011 that extended the transitional period by one year, during which time the speaker and the president would remain in office while the prime minister was forced to step down. A new prime minister and transitional government have been appointed and a roadmap adopted for transitional tasks that are to be carried out by August 2012 as part of the Kampala Agreement, which was adopted under the supervision of Uganda´s President, Yoweri Museveni. The armed resistance groups that oppose all compromise still pose a threat to both the government and the political process.

A peacekeeping force from the African Union, AMISOM, has been deployed since 2007, with a mandate from the UN to stabilise the country, protect the transitional institutions and support political dialogue. The Security Council has extended AMISOM´s mandate several times, most recently through Resolution 2010 (2011) of 30 September 2011, in which the force was mandated to continue operations until 31 October 2012.

In 1992, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 733 on an arms embargo aimed at preventing the extensive flow of arms into Somalia. The arms embargo is still in force today, although certain amendments and additions have been made through Resolutions 1356 (2001), 1425 (2002), 1916 (2010) and 2002 (2011).

In 2008 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1844 on the possibility of introducing targeted sanctions against persons or entities that try to prevent a peaceful political process or threaten the transitional institutions or AMISOM, that have violated the arms embargo or that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Under the Resolution, the persons designated by the UN Sanctions Committee are subject to travel restrictions and an assets freeze. In April 2010, the Sanctions Committee decided to list a number of persons and one organisation. On 28 July 2011, the Sanctions Committee updated the list of persons and entities covered by the sanctions. Resolution 2002 of 29 July 2011 amended the criteria for including military leaders who recruit or use child soldiers in armed conflicts in Somalia in crimes against current international law, and for individuals or entities that violate international law with regard to violence targeted against civilians in armed conflict. This includes killing and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks against schools and hospitals, and abduction and forced displacement.

Eritrea is considered to have actively fuelled the conflict in Somalia by providing assistance to armed opposition groups that resort to terrorist methods in the country. The UN Security Council therefore adopted Resolution 1907 (2009) on restrictive measures against Eritrea. These sanctions are described separately, but they include an obligation for Member States to inspect all cargo to and from Somalia and Eritrea. Below is a description of the inspection regime regarding Somalia.