Security Council terminates requirement for States to notify deilvery of arms to Rwandan Government

Welcoming recent positive developments in Rwanda and other countries of Africa’s Great Lakes region, the United Nations Security Council terminated the requirement that States notify its Committee of the delivery of arms and related materiel to the Government of Rwanda, modifying the sanctions first imposed in 1994 amid widespread ethnic killings that culminated in genocide.

The unanimously adopted resolution did not alter the prohibition against the sale or supply of arms and related materiel to Rwanda, other than to the Government of Rwanda. That measure, which remains in effect, was designed to prevent arms and related materiel from falling into the hands of non-governmental forces for use in Rwanda.

In taking this action, the Council stressed that States in the region must “ensure that arms and related materiel delivered to them are not diverted to or used by illegal armed groups.”