Liberia Map

SECURITY COUNCIL ENDS 13-YEAR SANCTIONS REGIME ON DIAMOND-RICH LIBERIA

The United Nations Security Council has terminated an arms embargo against diamond rich Liberia, according to a press release from the United Nations. The UNSC encourages Liberia’s government to establish a necessary framework to combat the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition.

“Today’s lifting by the Security Council of the remaining arms embargo on non-State actors further signals the significant progress made by Liberia and the sub-region in maintaining stability,” says a statement issued by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson.

Liberia, located on the West African coast, is rich in minerals and precious metals, including diamonds. The country’s civil war, which took place between 1989 and 2003, raised serious allegations over the trade of conflict diamonds from neighboring Sierra Leone to finance the regime’s war against rebel factions.

In 2001, the UN imposed sanctions on the Liberian diamond trade, though the ban was lifted in 2007, and the country was accepted as a member of the Kimberley Process.

Other articles on the category

The branch news