Horndiplomat-The UN Security Council has unanimously agreed to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nine years.
An arms embargo, asset freeze, and travel ban were imposed in 2009 amid claims Eritrea supported al-Shabab militants in Somalia.
The resolution, drafted by the UK, was backed by the US and its Western allies.
The UN vote comes amid a thaw in relations between Eritrea and its neighbours following years of conflict.
Eritrea agreed a peace deal with Ethiopia in June, while the leader of Eritrea and the UN-backed government in Somalia have also met three times this year.
After UN Security Council unanimously decides to lift sanctions against Eritrea,The Government of Eritrea (GOE) released Press Statement that expresses its gratitude to all friends of Eritrea who added their moral weight, and contributed in different ways, to the lifting of the ignominious sanction.Said Press statement released by Eritrean Ministry of Information(Shabait).
Eritrean MOI Press Statement: The issue is why sanctions in the first place?
Issue is not the lifting of, but why sanctions in the first place?
The UN Security Council has today lifted the unwarranted sanctions that were imposed on Eritrea in December 2009 and 2011 respectively.
MOI Press Statement: The issue is why sanctions in the first place?
"The Government of Eritrea welcomes this belated decision to redress injustice, almost a decade after nefarious acts were taken inculcating indefensible harm on the country" pic.twitter.com/sYFyClLS8t
— Yemane G. Meskel 🇪🇷 (@hawelti) November 14, 2018
The Government of Eritrea welcomes this belated decision to redress injustice, almost a decade after nefarious acts were taken inculcating indefensible harm on the country. At this juncture, the GOE pays tribute to the vigorous defiance of the people of Eritrea inside the country and abroad against injustice; to their characteristic resilience and patience in the face of adversity. It also expresses its gratitude to all friends of Eritrea who added their moral weight, and contributed in different ways, to the lifting of the ignominious sanctions. Congratulations to all!
But even as we turn the page of this dark chapter and focus on the future, we must ponder on, and take stock of, what transpired; why Eritrea was needlessly victimized; what were the dynamics that underpinned a travesty of international justice on this scale?
And here the verdict is crystal clear. The sad fact is three previous US Administrations (the Clinton, Bush and Obama Presidencies) pursued a misguided policy of propping up regional proxies or anchors, the TPLF regime in the case of Ethiopia, within the framework of a uni-polar global order. Key pillars of this policy included:
• Stoking border disputes and conflicts to manage the resulting mayhem;
• Fomenting and institutionalizing ethnic and factional polarizations;
• Undermining regional integration and cooperation so as to create a conducive climate for wanton interference.
"At this juncture, the GOE pays tribute to the vigorous defiance of the people of Eritrea inside the country and abroad against injustice; to their characteristic resilience and patience in the face of adversity" pic.twitter.com/jVoFy5OQuh
— Yemane G. Meskel 🇪🇷 (@hawelti) November 14, 2018