United Nations arms embargoes - Afghanistan

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Afghanistan

In October 1996 UN Security Council Resolution 1076 (PDF) called upon all States immediately to end the supply of arms and ammunition to all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan.

In October 1999 UN Security Council Resolution 1267 (PDF) imposed limited air and financial embargoes on the Taliban. UN Security Council Resolution 1267 (1999) also established a sanctions committee to oversee the implementation of sanctions on Taliban controlled Afghanistan for its support to Usama bin Laden. It has become known as "the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee" as the sanctions regime has been modified and strengthened by subsequent resolutions, including Resolutions 1333 (2000), 1390 (2002), 1455 (2003), 1526 (2004), 1617 (2005) and 1735 (2006) so that the sanctions now cover individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden and/or the Taliban wherever located. The Security Council will review the current sanctions measures bu June 2008.

In December 2000 UN Security Council Resolution 1333 (PDF) established an arms embargo on those parts of Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. The imposition of an arms embargo on part of the territory of a state raises different implementation challenges from an embargo on a state. The Security Council requested a report from a Committee of Experts on how the implementation of the embargo could be monitored. The report (S/2001/511) was delivered in May 2001.

In July 2001 UN Security Council Resolution 1363 (PDF) requested the Secretary General to establish a mechanism to monitor the sanctions established bu UN Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1333 (2000). A Monitoring Group was subsequently established.

In January 2002 UN Security Council Resolution 1390 (PDF) modified the arms embargo to apply to any sale or supplies to either the Taliban or to the Al-Qaida organization regardless of location. It also terminated the air embargo of resolution 1267 (1999), expanded the financial embargo of resolution 1267 (1999) to apply also to associates of Usama bin Laden and Al-Qaida members and re-appointed the monitoring group established by resolution 1363 (2000).

The implementation of an arms embargo against a non-state entity regardless of location raises different implementation challenges compared with an arms embargo that is tied to a particular state or territory. The Security Council Committee Established Pursuant to Resolution 1267 (1999) produced an Explanation of Terms: Arms Embargo (PDF) to clarify some of the issues raised by resolution 1390 (2002).