UN okays EU ships seizing of illegal arms off Libya

The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to authorize the European Union’s maritime force to enforce an arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya for another year.

The British-drafted resolution adopted Monday authorizes EU ships in Operation Sophia to stop vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast suspected of smuggling weapons in violation of a U.N. arms embargo.

Operation Sophia is also charged with seizing migrant-smuggling vessels.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ latest report on implementation of the embargo said the only inspection resulting in the seizure of banned weapons took place on June 19, 2017, on the motor vessel El-Mukhtar.

Operation Sophia’s commander and deputy secretary-general of the European External Action Service urged renewal of the resolution in a council briefing on June 3.