Arms embargoes

Arms embargoes are a type of sanction that can be used to coerce states and non-governmental actors to improve their behaviour in the interests of international peace and security.

SIPRI Arms embargo archive

This archive contains information on all multilateral arms embargoes that have been implemented by an international organization, such as the EU or UN, or by a group of nations. It includes both legally binding embargoes and those that are solely political commitments. It provides details of the aims, scope and amendments to all arms embargoes that are in force, or have been in force since 1998 and to most that were in force since 1950. The archive is constantly updated to include information on new arms embargoes or significant modifications to existing arms embargoes.

Annual summaries of arms embargo related events can be found at:

Mandatory UN embargoes
Target	Entry into force	Suspended	Lifted	Establishing document
Afghanistan (Taliban)	19 December 2000	16 January 2002		UNSCR 1333
Angola (UNITA)	15 September 1993		9 December 2002	UNSCR 864
Central African Rep. (NGF)	5 December 2013			UNSCR 2127
Cote d'Ivoire	15 November 2004		28 April 2016	UNSCR 1572
DRC (NGF)	28 July 2003			UNSCR 1493
Eritrea	17 May 2000		15 May 2001	UNSCR 1298
Eritrea	23 December 2009		14 November 2018	UNSCR 1907
Ethiopia	17 May 2000		15 May 2001	UNSCR 1298
Haiti	16 June 1993	29 September 1994	29 September 1994	UNSCR 841
Haiti	21 October 2022			UNSCR 2653
Iran	23 December 2006		18 October 2023	UNSCR 1737
Iraq (NGF since 2004)	6 August 1990			UNSCR 661
ISIL, Al-Qaeda and associated individuals and entities	16 January 2002			UNSCR 1390
Lebanon (NGF)	11 August 2006			UNSCR 1701
Liberia (NGF since 2009)	19 November 1992		26 May 2016	UNSCR 788
Libya	31 March 1992	5 April 1999	12 September 2003	UNSCR 748
Libya (NGF)	26 February 2011			UNSCR 1970
North Korea (DPRK)	14 October 2006			UNSCR 1718
Rwanda (NGF since 1995)	17 May 1994		10 July 2008	UNSCR 918
Sierra Leone (NGF since 1998)	8 October 1997		29 September 2010	UNSCR 1132
Somalia (NGF since 2023)	23 January 1992			UNSCR 733
South Africa	4 November 1977		25 May 1994	UNSCR 418
South Sudan	13 July 2018			UNSCR 2428
Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)	16 December 1966		21 December 1979	UNSCR 232
Sudan (Darfur region)	30 July 2004			UNSCR 1556
Taliban	16 January 2002			UNSCR 1390
Yemen (NGF)	14 April 2015			UNSCR 2216
Yugoslavia (FRY)	25 September 1991		1 October 1996	UNSCR 2216
Yugoslavia (FRY)	31 March 1998		10 September 2001	UNSCR 1160

Non mandatory UN embargoes
Target	Entry into force	Lifted	Establishing document
Afghanistan	22 October 1996	25 October 2001	UNSCR 1076
Eritrea	12 February 1999	17 May 2000	UNSCR 1227
Ethiopia	12 February 1999	17 May 2000	UNSCR 1227
Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan)	29 July 1993	2002	UNSCR 853
South Africa	7 August 1963	4 November 1977	UNSCR 181

EU embargoes
Target	Entry into force	Suspended	Lifted	Establishing document
Afghanistan	17 December 1996		26 February 2001	96/746/CFSP
Afghanistan (Taliban)	26 February 2001		27 May 2002	2001/154/CFSP
Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Osama Bin Laden	27 May 2002			2002/402/CFSP
Belarus	20 June 2011			2011/357/CFSP
Bosnia and Herzegovina	5 July 1991		23 January 2006	EC declaration
Central African Republic	23 December 2013			2013/798/CFSP
China	27 June 1989			EC declaration
Cote d'Ivoire	15 November 2004		9 June 2016	2004/852/CFSP
Croatia	5 July 1991		20 November 2000	EC declaration
DRC (NGF since 2003)	7 April 1993			EC declaration
Egypt	21 August 2013			EU agreement
Eritrea	15 March 1999		31 May 2001	1999/206/CFSP
Eritrea	1 March 2010		12 December 2018	2010/127/CFSP
Ethiopia	15 March 1999		31 May 2001	1999/206/CFSP
Guinea	27 October 2009		14 April 2014	2009/788/CFSP
Indonesia	17 September 1999		17 January 2000	1999/624/CFSP
Iran	23 April 2007			2007/246/CFSP
Iraq (NGF since 2004)	4 August 1990			EC declaration
Lebanon (NGF)	15 September 2006			2006/625/CFSP
Liberia	7 May 2001		20 June 2016	2001/357/CFSP
Libya	27 January 1986		11 October 2004	EC declaration
Libya	28 February 2011			2011/137/CFSP
Myanmar (Burma)	29 July 1991			EC declaration
Nigeria	20 November 1995		1 June 1999	95/515/CFSP
North Korea (DPRK)	22 November 2006			2006/795/CFSP
Russia	31 July 2014			2014/512/CFSP
Sierra Leone (NGF)	5 June 1998		29 October 2010	98/409/CFSP
Slovenia	5 July 1991	16 February 1996	10 August 1998	EC declaration
Somalia	10 December 2002			2002/960/CFSP
South Sudan	18 July 2011			2011/423/CFSP
Sudan	15 March 1994			94/165/CFSP
Syria	14 November 1986		28 November 1994	EC Declaration
Syria	9 May 2011			2011/273/CFSP
Ukraine	20 February 2014		16 July 2014	EU agreement
Uzbekistan	14 November 2005		31 October 2009	2005/792/CFSP
Venezuela	13 November 2017			EU 2017/2063
Yemen	8 June 2015			EU 2015/878
Yugoslavia (FRY)	5 July 1991		8 October 2001	EC declaration
Zimbabwe	18 February 2002			2002/145/CFSP

Other multilateral embargoes
Target	Entry into force	Lifted	Establishing document
Burundi (7 C/E African States)	6 August 1996	23 January 1999	-
Guinea (ECOWAS)	17 October 2009	25 March 2011	-
Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan) (OSCE)	28 February 1992		OSCE statement
Nigeria (Commonwealth)	24 April 1996	November 1999	-
Syria (League of Arab States)	3 December 2011		LAS statement
Togo (African Union)	25 February 2005	28 May 2005	-
Togo (ECOWAS)	19 February 2005	26 February 2005	-

Acronyms: DRC = Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire); FRY = Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; CFSP = Common Foreign and Security Policy; EC = European Community; EU = European Union;

LAS = League of Arab States; NGF = Non-Governmental Forces; OSCE = Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe; UNITA = National Union for the Total Independence of Angola; UNSCR = UN Security Council Resolution.