EU special mission to enforce arms embargo on Libya

18 Feb 2020; MEMO: Italy’s Foreign Minister said on Monday that he and his counterparts across the European Union have agreed to form a special mission to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya.

Luigi di Maio explained that the mission would include a naval ship to ensure that the embargo is effective.

The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Support Mission to Libya, Stephanie Williams, told reporters on Sunday that “the arms embargo has become a joke.”

She stressed the need to intensify efforts to enforce it. “It’s complicated because there are violations by land, sea and air, but it needs to be monitored and there needs to be accountability,” she added.

The UN official made her remarks after a meeting of European foreign ministers to follow up on the Berlin Summit held last month, including efforts to implement the arms embargo.