UN Security Council Imposes Sanctions on Eritrea
VOA News 23 December 2009
The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on Eritrea, who it accuses of arming insurgents in Somalia and refusing to settle a border dispute with Djibouti.
The Council adopted a resolution Wednesday banning all weapons sales to and from Eritrea. The resolution also places travel bans and asset freezes on individuals and companies to be named.
Eritrea's political and military leaders are expected to be among those affected.
The resolution was supported by 13 of the Security Council's 15 members. Libya voted against the resolution, while China, which has veto power, abstained.
The United States and African Union have said that Eritrea supplies weapons to al-Shabab rebels trying to overthrow the Somali government.
Eritrean leaders have repeatedly denied the allegations, and had called on the U.N. Security Council to reject the sanctions.
The resolution demands that Eritrea "cease arming, training and equipping armed groups and their members, including al-Shabab," that seek to destabilize the Horn of Africa region.
It also demands that Eritrea resolve a border dispute with Djibouti. The two countries clashed along the border in June 2008, leaving a number of Djibouti's soldiers dead or missing.
The Security Council has already urged the countries to withdraw their forces from the disputed area. Djibouti has done so, while Eritrea has not.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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