| Status of the embargo | Lifted |
| Entité | State |
| Organisation(s) | UN & EU |
| Exceptions | Yes, no prior notification or approval Yes, prior approval |
Eritrea is not subject to any arms embargo. Between December 2009 and November 2018, Eritrea was under an embargo by the United Nations. A similar embargo was applied by the European Union between March 2010 and December 2018.
Between May 2000 and May 2001, a previous embargo on Eritrea was put in place by the United Nations. It was also already subject to restrictive measures by the European Union between March 1999 and May 2001.
Restrictions:
Conventional weapons
UN
Eritrea is no longer subject to any UN arms embargo. The country was under UN arms embargo between December 2009 (Resolution 1907 (2009)) and November 2018 (Resolution 2444 (2018). Sanctions had been eased in 2012 and extended in 2013. The country had already faced similar sanctions between May 2000 and May 2001.
1. The sanctions regime established in 2009 and lifted in 2018
Prohibitions
This sanctions regime, as detailed in Resolution 2060 (2012) which reaffirmed previous Resolutions such as Resolution 1907 (2009), stipulated that “all Member States shall immediately take the necessary measures to prevent the sale or supply to Eritrea by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, and technical assistance, training, financial and other assistance, related to the military activities or to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of these items, whether or not originating in their territories” (Resolution 1907 (2009), para.5).
Exceptions
The sanctions regime included the following exceptions:
Requiring no prior approval from or notification to the UN Sanctions Committee on DPRK:
- The supply or sale of “protective clothing including flak jackets and military helmets, temporarily exported to Eritrea by United Nations personnel, representatives of the media and humanitarian and development workers and associated personnel for their personal use only” (Resolution 2060 (2012), para.11).
- Requiring prior approval to the UN Sanctions Committee on DPRK:
- The “supplies of non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use” (Resolution 2060, para.12),
Others
This sanctions regime also prohibited Eritrea from selling or transferring any arms or related materiel as well as procuring related services, covered by paragraph 5 of Resolution 1907 (2009), while UN Member States had to prevent their nationals from procuring such goods (Resolution 1907 (2009), para.6).
Moreover, Member-States were called upon to inspect “all cargo to and from Somalia and Eritrea, if the State concerned has information that provides reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contains items the supply, transfer, or export of which is prohibited” regarding the current regime of sanctions (Resolution 1907 (2009), para.7). They were allowed, if necessary, to seize and destroy these items (Resolution 1907 (2009), para.8) and were requested to inform the Committee quickly and in detail (Resolution 1907 (2009), para.9).
Eritrea is still under EU arms embargo.
EU
Eritrea was under EU arms embargo since March 2010 (Council Decision 2010/127/CFSP)). Sanctions were eased in 2012. Between March 1999 and May 2001, the country already faced similar sanctions. On 10th December 2018, Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1944 repealed Council Decision 2010/127/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Eritrea.
Prohibitions
The current sanctions regime, as detailed in the updated versions of Regulation 667/2010, which are based on Council Decision 2010/127/CFSP, require Member States to take the necessary measures to prevent “the sale or supply of arms and related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment and spare parts for the aforementioned to Eritrea” (Decision 2010/127/CFSP, art. 1, para. 1).
Moreover, Member States are prohibited from providing Eritrea with financing, financial assistance or technical assistance “related to military activities and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of arms and of related materiel of all types included in the Common Military List of the European Union” (Regulation 667/2010, art .2, para. 1, a and b).
Exceptions
The regime includes several exceptions:
Requiring no prior approval from or notification to the UN Sanctions Committee on Eritrea and Somalia:
- The supply of “protective clothing including flak jackets and military helmets, temporarily exported to Eritrea by United Nations personnel, representatives of the media and humanitarian and development workers and associated personnel for their personal use only” (Decision 2010/127/CFSP, art. 1, para. 4, a). Similarly, the provision of technical assistance, financing and financial assistance related to these items is permitted. (Regulation 667/2010, art. 2, para. 4).
Requiring prior approval to the UN Sanctions Committee on Eritrea and Somalia:
- The supply of “non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, as approved in advance by the Committee” established pursuant to UNSCR 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea (Decision 2010/127/CFSP, art. 1, para. 4, b). Likewise, the provision of technical assistance, financing and financial assistance related to these items (Regulation 667/2010, art.2, para.3).
Others
Besides, the infringement of financial prohibitions (covered by Regulation 667/2010, art. 2, para. 1, point b and d) does not give rise to liability of legal persons, entities and bodies concerned if they did not know, and had no reasonable cause to suspect that their actions would infringe these prohibitions (Regulation 667/2010, art. 2, para. 2).
Member States are called upon to inspect all cargo to and from Eritrea in their territory, including at their airports and seaports, if they have information that provides reasonable grounds to believe that the cargo contains items prohibited and to destroy these items, if necessary. Aircrafts and vessels transporting cargo to and from Eritrea shall be subject to the requirement of additional pre-arrival or pre-departure information for all goods brought into or out of a Member State (Decision 2010/127/CFSP, art. 2).
These sanctions also apply to certain individuals or entities listed in Annex I of Regulation 667/2010.
The EU arms embargo is indefinite.
2. Prohibitions from March 2010 to December 2012
Prohibitions
The EU enforced an arms embargo against Eritrea between March 1999 and May 2001, which prohibited any sales of arms, ammunition and military equipment to Eritrea. The embargo covered the following items: weapons designed to kill and their ammunition, weapon platforms, non-weapon platforms and ancillary equipment as well as spare parts. It also included repair, maintenance operations and transfer of military technologies.
See Common Positions 1999/206/CFSP and 2001/215/CFSP.
Eritrea was under UN arms embargo during the same period and is currently under another one.