ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES
TWENTIETH SESSION OF THE AUTHORITY OF HEADS
OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
ABUJA, 28-29 AUGUST 1997
DECISION ON SANCTIONS AGAINST
THE JUNTA IN SIERRA LEONE
THE AUTHORITY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT,
MINDFUL of Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the Revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) establishing the Authority of Heads of State and Government and defining its composition and functions;
RECALLING the decision taken on the situation in Sierra Leone by the Heads of State and Government of the OAU at their thirty-third ordinary session held in Harare, Zimbabwe;
RECALLING also Statement S/PRST/1997/29 of 27 May 1997, Statement S/PRST/1997/36 of 11 July 1997 and Statement S/PRST/1997/42 of 5 August, 1997 in which the President of the United Nations Security Council described as unacceptable the overthrow of the democratically elected Government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah; called for the immediate and unconditional return to constitutional order in Sierra Leone and expressed the support of Council for the objectives of ECOWAS;
CONSIDERING the fact that the continued situation in Sierra Leone may raise the number of Sierra Leonean refugees in neighbouring Member States; thus threatening international peace and security in the sub-region;
BEARING IN MIND the ECOWAS objectives contained in the Final Communique of the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Conakry on 26 June 1997;
DEEPLY concerned at the breakdown of negotiations between the Monitoring Committee on the situation in Sierra Leone and the representatives of the Junta in Abidjan on 29-30 July 1997;
DECIDES
Article 1
The Community and its Member States reaffirm its position to spare no effort to restore constitutional order to Sierra Leone as soon as possible.
Article 2
Member states shall place immediately a general and total embargo on all supplies of petroleum products, arms and military equipment of Sierra Leone and abstain from transacting any business with that country. To this end Member States shall:
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prevent sale or supply by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft of petroleum or petroleum products or arms and related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipoment, police equipment and spare parts for the afore-mentioned, whether or not originating in their territories, to any person or legal entity, for the purpose of any business carried out in or operated from the Republic of Sierra Leone, and any activities by their nationals or in their territories which promote or are calculated to promote such sale or supply;
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prohibit any and all traffic from entering the territory or territorial waters of the Republic of Sierra Leone, carrying petroleum or petroleum products; or aarms and related material of all types, including weapons and ammunitioins, military vehicles and equipment, police equipment and spare parts for the afore-mentioned;
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prevent from entering their respective territories, all members of the illegal regime, as well as military officers, members of their families, and other entities directly or indirectly connected with the regime and deny the use of their airspace to aircraft belonging to or carrying any member of the regime;
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prevent any activities by their nationals or on their territories which would promote the export or transshipment of any commodities or products originating in Sierra Leone and any transactions by their nationals or flag vessels or aircraft or in their territory any commodities or other products originating in the Republic of Sierra Leone or exported therefrom.
Article 3
Member States shall freeze funds held by members of the illegal regime, military officers and civilians directly or indirectly connected with the regime as well as their families.
Article 4
Member States shall prohibit the importation of any commodities and products originating in Sierra Leone and the exportation of other goods to that country.
Article 5
Member States shall abstain from shipping and delivering humanitarian goods to the illegal regime, except with the prior approval of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.
Article 6
The embargo imposed by this decision shall not apply to arms, military equipment and military assistance meant for the exclusive use of the sub-regional forces which shall be responsible for applying the measures contained in the Final Communique of the meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Foreign Affairs issued on 26 June, 1997.
Article 7
The sub-regional forces shall employ all necessary means to impose the implementation of this decision. They shall monitor closely the coastal areas, land borders and airspace of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and shall inspect, guard and seize any ship, vehicle or aircract violating the embargo imposed by this decision.
Article 8
In addition to the execution of the assignment in the Final Communique of 26 June, 1997, the Monitoring Committee on Sierra Leone referred to as the Committee of Four
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shall request all Member States to communicate to it any new developments regarding measures taken to ensure effective implementation of this decision;
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shall analyse any information brought to its notice by Member States concerning violations of the sanctions contained in this decision and recommend appropriate measures;
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consider requests for permission to import into Sierra Leone, goods for humanitarian uses; and make necessary recommendations to the Authority;
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report to the Authority regularly, any information it may have obtained concerning aleged violations of this decision and, where possible, identify the persons or entities, including the vessels, vehicles or aircraft accused of such violations.
Article 9
All Member States shall take necessary measures to ensure full implementation of this decision.
Article 10
The Committee of Four shall solicit assistance from the United Nations Security Council to render these sanctions imposed universal and mandatory, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.
Article 11
This decision shall be published by the Executive Secretariat in the Official Journal of the Community and by each Member State in its National Gazette.
DONE AT ABUJA, THIS 29TH DAY OF AUGUST 1997
H.E. GENERAL SANI ABACHA
CHAIRMAN
FOR THE AUTHORITY