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Appendix 11A. Multilateral arms embargoes, 2010
Contents
I. Introduction
II. Developments in United Nations arms embargoes
III. Developments in other multilateral arms embargoes
Table 11A.1. Multilateral arms embargoes in force during 2010
Appendix 11A gives details of all multilateral arms embargoes in force during 2010 and describes developments UN, EU and ECOWAS arms embargoes [PDF].
Summary
There were 29 mandatory multilateral arms embargoes in force in 2010, directed at a total of 16 targets, including governments, non-governmental forces and a transnational network. The United Nations imposed 12 of these embargoes, the European Union (EU) imposed 16 and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed 1.
The UN Security Council imposed no new arms embargo in 2010, but it did widen its arms embargo on Iran. One UN arms embargo, on Sierra Leone, was lifted.
Ten of the 16 EU embargoes were straightforward implementations of UN arms embargoes. In addition, two EU arms embargoes differed from UN embargoes in their scope or coverage and four did not have UN counterparts. During 2010, the EU imposed one new embargo, implementing the UN embargo on Eritrea imposed in December 2009, and lifted its embargo on Sierra Leone, which had been an implementation of a UN embargo. ECOWAS’s single embargo was the only other embargo imposed by a multilateral organization during 2010.
Significant violations of the UN embargoes on Côte d’Ivoire, Iran, North Korea and Somalia were reported in 2010.
Pieter D. Wezeman (Netherlands) is a Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.
Noel Kelly (Ireland) is a Research Assistant with the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production and Arms Transfers programmes.
English