ECOWAS established for the first time in its history an arms embargo against one of its members. On 19 February 2005 ECOWAS put in place, among other sanctions, a 'complete arms embargo' on Togo after Faure Gnassingbé, with help of the armed forces, illegally took over as President after the death of his father. The ECOWAS sanctions were lifted on 26 February after Gnassinbé stepped down and preparations for presidential elections started.
The African Union (AU) asked its members on 20 February to support the ECOWAS sanctions against Togo, including the arms embargo. On 25 February the AU adopted the ECOWAS sanctions as its own. While not officially lifted in a AU document, the reason for the sanctions no longer existed after Gnassingbé was declared on 28 May 2005 the winner of the 27 May 2005 presidential elections in Togo.
On 14 November 2005 the EU Council adopted Common Position 2005/792/CFSP, by which Uzbekistanbecame the target of EU sanctions, including an arms embargo, after the Uzbek government refused to allow an independent international investigation of the violent suppression of peaceful anti-government demonstrations in May 2005.