EU arms embargo on Somalia

On 23 January 1992 the UN Security Council decided to declare an arms embargo on Somalia in January 1992 due to the ongoing civil war and a humanitarian crisis (Resolutions 733 and 751). Somalia, wracked by ongoing fighting and serious violations of human rights, remains under embargo.

The European Union and its member states imposed an arms embargo on Somalia in December 2002 adopting UN Resolution 733 Council Common Position 2002/960/CFSP.

In January 2003 Council Regulation (EC) No 147/2003 was added to further enforce the arms embargo.

In February 2009 Council Common Position 2009/138/CFSP repealed the existing embargo and replaced it with an ams embargo on Somalia which allowed the supply or sale of arms and related material intended solely for the purpose of helping to develop security sector institutions, consistent with the political process set out in UNSCR 1744 (2007) and in the absence of a negative decision by the relevant UN Sanctions Committee.

Last updated on 3 May 2012.