UN to lift nine-year Eritrea sanctions (BBC)

The UN Security Council is expected to agree shortly to lift sanctions against Eritrea.

An arms embargo, asset freeze, and travel ban were imposed in 2009 amid claims Eritrea supported al-Shabab militants in Somalia.

The resolution, drafted by the UK, has the crucial backing of the US and its Western allies.

The UN vote comes amid a thaw in relations between Eritrea and its neighbours following years of conflict.

Eritrea agreed a peace deal with Ethiopia in June, while the leader of Eritrea and the UN-backed government in Somalia have also met three times this year. Read more