| Status of the embargo | Lifted |
| Entité | State |
| Organisation(s) | UN & EU |
| Exceptions | Yes, no prior notification or approval Yes, prior approval |
Liberia is no longer subject to any arms embargo. The UN enforced an arms embargo against Liberia between November 1992 and May 2016, as did the EU between May 2001 and June 2016.
Restrictions:
Conventional weapons
UN
Liberia is no longer subject to UN arms embargo which was lifted 25th May 2016 (Resolution 2288 (2016)).
Liberia was under UN arms embargo between November 1992 and May 2016.
Prohibitions
During its last phase, between September 2015 and May 2016, the sanctions regime, as detailed in Resolution 2237 (2015), provided that “all States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer, (…) of arms and any related materiel and the provision of any assistance, advice or training related to military activities, including financing and financial assistance (…)” (Resolution 1903 (2009), para. 4)
Exceptions
The UN arms embargo provided for several exceptions:
Not requiring any prior approval from or notification to the UN Sanctions Committee on Liberia:
- “Supplies of arms and related materiel as well as technical training and assistance intended solely for support of or use by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)” (Resolution 1903 (2009), para. 5, a);
- “Protective clothing, including flak jackets and military helmets, temporarily exported to Liberia by United Nations personnel, representatives of the media and humanitarian and development workers and associated personnel, for their personal use only” (Resolution 1903 (2009), para. 5, b).
- “Other supplies of non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, and related technical assistance and training” (Resolution 1903 (2009), para. 5, c, amended by Resolution 2128 (2013), para. 2, b ,ii)
Requiring prior notification to the UN Sanctions Committee on Liberia:
- Any supplies of lethal arms and related materiel, or any provision of assistance, advice or training related to military or other security sector activities for the Government of Liberia (Resolution 2128 (2013), para. 2, b). The Government of Liberia had the responsibility to notify the UN Sanctions Committee.
Download free
Link:
Site du Comité de sanctions des Nations unies
EU
Liberia is no longer under EU arms embargo which was lifted 21st June 2016 (Decision 2016/994/CFSP and Regulation 2016/983).
Prohibitions
Liberia was under EU arms embargo between May 2001 and June 2016. During its last phase, between March 2014 and June 2016, the sanctions regime, as detailed in Council Common Position 2008/109/CFSP and supplemented by Regulation 234/2004, in their updated versions, prohibited the supply, sale or transfer of arms and any related materiel to all non-governmental entities and individuals operating in the territory of Liberia (Common Position 2008/109/CFSP, art. 1).
The provision of financial or technical assistance related to military activities or to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of aforementioned item to any person, entity or body in, or for use in Liberia was also prohibited (Regulation 234/2004, art. 1 and Common Position 2008/109/CFSP, art. 1).
Exceptions
The EU arms embargo provided for several exceptions :
Not requiring any prior approval from or notification to the UN Sanctions Committee on Liberia:
- Arms, related materiel and technical or financial assistance intended solely for use by or support in the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) (Common Position 2008/109/CFSP, art. 2, para. 1, a)
- Protective clothing, including flak jackets and military helmets, temporarily exported to Liberia by United Nations personnel, personnel of the European Union, the Community or its Member States, representatives of the media and humanitarian and development workers and associated personnel, for their personal use only (Regulation 234/2004, art. 5 and Common Position 2008/109/CFSP, art. 2, para. 1, b).
- Non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use (Regulation 234/2004, art. 1, para. 1, b, and Common Position 2008/108/CFSP, art. 2, para. 1, c).
EU Common Position 2008/109/CFSP and Regulation 234/2004 insist that Member States proceed carefully with these exports by requiring adequate safeguards against their misuses as well as making provisions for repatriation of the items (Regulation 234/2004, art. 3 and Common Position 2008/109/CFSP, art. 2, para. 2).
Requiring prior notification to the UN Sanctions Committee on Liberia:
- Any supply of lethal arms and related materiel as well as provision of technical and financial assistance intended for use by the Government of Liberia in military and security activities, and not mentioned in previous exceptions. The Government of Liberia had the primary responsibility to notify the UN Sanctions Committee but Member States were allowed to perform it in its stead upon agreement (Common Position 2008/109/CFSP, art. 2, par
Download free
Link:
Web page for EU Sanctions and restrictive measures