The UN Security Council did not impose any new arms embargoes in 2008. UN arms embargoes against al-Qaeda, Taliban and associated individuals and entities, Côte d’Ivoire, non-governmental forces in the DRC, Iran, Liberia and Somalia were extended.
On 31 March 2008 UN Security Council Resolution 1807 exempted the Government of the DRC from the arms embargo and lifted the conditions for the authorization and receipt of shipments of arms and related materiel imposed by Resolution 1596 of 2005.
On 10 July 2008 UN Security Council Resolution 1823 lifted the arms embargo on non-governmental forces in Rwanda and the prohibition on re-transfers and exports of arms and related materiel from Rwanda established in 1995 by Resolution 1011.
On 11 July 2008 the UN Security Council voted on a draft resolution that sought to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe as a means of coercing parties to reach a peaceful solution that reflected and respected the results of the 29 March 2008 elections. Although nine members of the Security Council voted for the draft resolution, the resolution did not pass as two permanent members of the UN Security Council were among the five states that voted against the resolution (China and Russia).
The EU did not impose any new arms embargo in 2008 but it did repeal and replace its arms embargo on the DRC as a result of changes to the UN arms embargo. It also extended its arms embargoes on Côte d’Ivoire, Myanmar and Uzbekistan.