Eritrea renews appeal on UNSC to rescind sanctions
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
October 24, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Eritrean government on Saturday called on the United Nations Security Council to drop its case against Eritrea and withdraw long imposed sanctions which Asmara said are “unjust”.
Eritrea’s appeal comes hours after the Security Council on Friday adopted resolution to uphold arms embargo imposed against on Somalia and Eritrea for another year.
In 2009, the UN Security Council slapped Eritrea with sanctions accusing the country of supporting Islamist militants in Somalia, Al-Shabab.
Eritrea has repeatedly denied allegation it backed the al-Qaida allied Islamist militants.
Eritrea was then accused of dispatching 2000 troops to Somalia in support of Al-Shabab. It was again accused in 2011 of sending three plane loads of arms to Al-Shabab through the airport of Baidowa.
In the resolution issued Friday, the Security Council commended efforts of the Somalia -Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) to engage with the Government of Eritrea.
It reiterated “its expectation that the Government of Eritrea will facilitate the entry of the SEMG to Eritrea, to discharge fully its mandate”.
The council called on “Eritrea to cooperate with the SEMG, including on public finance issues, in accordance with the SEMG’s mandate, in order to demonstrate that Eritrea is not violating the terms of relevant Security Council resolutions”
Eritrea’s representative, Girma Asmerom, argued that the monitoring group had found no evidence of Eritrea’s alleged support to Al-Shabab, and should be lifted immediately and unconditionally.
He said the sanctions affected the poor and restricted Eritrea’s ability to defend its sovereignty.
“As the reasons for imposing sanctions were non-existent, the logical action for the Council should have been to lift them immediately and unconditionally and to end monitoring group’s activities,” said Asmerom.
Yesterday’s the resolution was adopted with 14 votes in favour and Venezuela abstaining.
The Eritrean official said the Security Council had, despite the objections of some of its members, opted to extend the sanctions under pressure from the United States and its usual allies, while invoking non-existent facts in its desire to punish Eritrea.
In a statement, the Eritrean government said the decisions and actions made by the UNSC undermines its own legal authority.
(ST)