Sanctions against Somalia originated in 1992, with a UN arms embargo seeking to limit the expansion of a civil war which began following the collapse of the government of Siad Barre. Current programmes are instituted in support of the UN-backed Federal Government of Somalia, which controls the capital, Mogadishu, and target Al Shabaab and other armed opposition groups.
On 1st December 2023 the UN lifted the general and complete arms ambargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Somalia. The UN subseuqently imposed an arms embargo on Al-Shabaab in Somalia, with exemptions and exceptions for other actors in Somalia. New measures do not apply to deliveries or supplies to the GFRS, SNA, NISA, SNPF and the Somali Custodial Corps; reaffirms the charcoal ban and IED components ban, and adjusts and adds to the list of components; renews the maritime interdiction of charcoal, weapons or military equipment, and IED components, until 15 December 2024; recalls that resolution 2664 (2022) supersedes and replaces the humanitarian exemption to the assets freeze in resolution 2662 (2022); renames the Committee; renews the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which the Council also renames, until 15 January 2025.
Sanction Name
Items Relating to the Situation in Somalia
First Imposed
Last updated
Targets
Asset Freeze, Arms Embargo, Travel Ban and Trade Restrictions:
• There is a ban on the sale of arms and military equipment to Al-Shabaab in Somalia. There are also asset freezes targeting those found to be undermining peace and stability in Somalia, violating the arms embargo, obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance, utilising child soldiers, committing acts of violence targeting women or children, engaging in international trade from Al Shabaab controlled ports or misappropriating Somalian financial resources. There is a ban on the trade of Somalian charcoal and on the export of various chemicals and components that can be used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (“IEDs”), including explosives containing nitrocellulose and trinitrophenylmethylnitramine as well as different kinds of detonators.
Exemptions
1. Small arms supplied following notification to the UN Sanctions Committee for use by the Somalian Government or non-lethal equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use are exempt from sanctions. Weapons with a calibre of 12.7mm or greater require prior approval from the committee.
2. There are also travel ban exemptions for certain humanitarian purposes and to further the objectives of peace and stability in Somalia and the wider region.
3. Asset freeze exemptions can be granted for certain expenses.
4. An exemption applies to the arms embargo on Somalia for UN Member States engaged in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea.
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Sanction Name
Restrictive in View Of The Situation In Somalia
SANCTIONS
First Imposed
Last updated
Targets
Asset Freeze, Arms Embargo, Travel Ban and Trade Restrictions:
• Those engaged in or supporting violence undermining the Federal Government of Somalia or disrupting the provision of humanitarian assistance. The measure includes a ban on the provision of arms or related materiel or services to such individuals. Those breaching the arms embargo are also subject to special designation. There is also a prohibition on the importation of Somalian charcoal.
Exemptions
1. The arms and military training embargo does not apply to UN personnel, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) or AMISOM’s strategic partners in the African Union, the European Union Training Mission, EU member states combatting piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, the Somali National Security Forces or the Somali security sector.
2. Small arms supplied following notification to the UN Sanctions Committee for use by the Somalian Government or non-lethal equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use is exempt from sanctions. Weapons with a calibre of 12.7mm or greater require prior approval from the committee.
3. There are also travel ban exemptions for certain humanitarian purposes and to further the objectives of peace and stability in Somalia and the wider region.
4. Asset freeze exemptions are also permitted for basic expenses, the provision of legal and professional services, fees for the holding of frozen funds and for the satisfaction of judicial, administrative or arbitral liens or judgments.
Sanction Name
Regulation on measures against Somalia
SANCTIONS
First Imposed
Last updated
Targets
Asset Freeze, Arms Embargo, Travel Ban and Trade Restrictions:
• Entities engaged in military operations against the Transitional Federal Government (and its successor, the Federal Government of Somalia) and international peacekeeping forces during the country’s civil war. This includes an arms embargo, travel sanctions and the blocking of funds and economic resources, as well as restrictions on the importation of charcoal from Somalia and any related funding.
Exemptions
1. Arms supplied for use by the Somalian Government or non-lethal equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use is exempt from sanctions, as is the temporary export of protective clothing and related equipment for media, humanitarian, UN and Swiss personnel.
Sanction Name
Somalia Sanctions Program
SANCTIONS
First Imposed
Last updated
Targets
Specially Designated National, Arms Embargo and Trade Restrictions:
• Entities engaged in military operations against the Transitional Federal Government (and its successor, the Federal Government of Somalia) and international peacekeeping forces during the country’s civil war, including those found to have supplied or supported the supply into the country of arms or materiel. The sanctions also target any entity found to be responsible for acts of violence targeting civilians, political or military leaders using children in armed conflict. The importation of charcoal from Somalia into the US is prohibited and sanctions also target any individuals found to be trading in Somalian charcoal after 22nd February 2012.
Sanction Name
Restrictive in View Of The Situation In Somalia
SANCTIONS
First Imposed
Last updated
Targets
Asset Freeze, Arms Embargo, Travel Ban and Trade Restrictions:
• Those engaged in or supporting violence undermining the Federal Government of Somalia or disrupting the provision of humanitarian assistance. The measure includes a ban on the provision of arms or related materiel or services to such individuals. Those breaching the arms embargo are also subject to special designation. There is also a prohibition on the importation of Somalian charcoal.
Exemptions
1. The arms and military training embargo does not apply to UN personnel, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) or AMISOM’s strategic partners in the African Union, the European Union Training Mission, EU member states combatting piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, the Somali National Security Forces or the Somali security sector.
2. Small arms supplied following notification to the UN Sanctions Committee for use by the Somalian Government or non-lethal equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use are exempt from sanctions. Weapons with a calibre of 12.7mm or greater require prior approval from the committee.
3. There are also travel ban exemptions for certain humanitarian purposes and to further the objectives of peace and stability in Somalia and the wider region.
4. Asset freeze exemptions are also permitted for basic expenses, the provision of legal and professional services, fees for the holding of frozen funds and for the satisfaction of judicial, administrative or arbitral liens or judgments.
