联合国加大对厄立特里亚的制裁

The UN Security Council has toughened sanctions against Eritrea after its East African neighbours accused it of continuing to provide support to Islamist militants¹.

厄立特里亚的东非邻国指责其继续向伊斯兰教激进分子提供帮助，联合国安理会随即加大了对该国的制裁。

The resolution requires foreign companies involved in Eritrea's mining industry to ensure that funds from the sector² are not used to destabilise the region.

Thirteen council members voted for the resolution and two abstained³（自制，放弃） .

Eritrea denies the accusations⁴.

East African nations had called for tougher sanctions after a UN report found that Eritrea continued to support al-Shabab and other armed groups in Somalia.

Watered down

Early drafts of the resolution included measures like banning foreign investment in Eritrea's mining sector and blocking a remittance⁵ tax（汇出税） imposed on nationals overseas.

But these were watered down because of opposition⁶ from some European states concerned they would hurt the Eritrean people, and from Russia and China, which abstained in the vote.

Nevertheless Eritrea called the resolution outrageous⁷（粗暴的） and strongly denied the allegations against it.

Officials from five East African nations addressed the council by video conference before the vote, including Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

His country fought a war with Eritrea, but he insisted this was not a "family quarrel" between the two countries.

"Eritrea is a prime source of instability for the whole region," he said. "It's a problem of attitude, of a certain clique⁸（派系，私党） in Asmara that has never grown up; it's a problem of lawlessness and reckless disregard for international norms."

Eritrea had requested that its president be allowed to speak to the UN Security Council when the draft was first circulated.

Diplomats⁹ say because of American opposition it did not get an invitation until late last week. It angrily rejected this as too late.

The resolution calls on countries to exercise vigilance to prevent Eritrea from diverting funds to destabilise the region.

It also condemns¹⁰ Asmara for allegedly planning an attack on an African Union summit held in Ethiopia earlier this year.