After Washington, the EU on Thursday announced its support for the imposition of an international arms embargo on Burma and declared itself ready to toughen its sanctions, following a massacre blamed on the military in in which two members of an NGO were killed.
“Faced with the escalation of violence in Burma, additional preventive actions are necessary at the international level, including an arms embargo” which could be enacted at the level of the UN, indicated the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell , in a press release.
Brussels is already blocking the sale of arms and equipment that could be used for internal repression, as well as the ban on the export of dual-use goods intended for the army and border police.
The junta questioned, additional sanctions envisaged
The NGO Save the Children said earlier this week that two of its employees were killed on December 24 in an attack “committed by the Burmese soldiers in the state of Kayah”, in eastern Burma, which killed at least 35, including women and children.
Following the massacre, the United States, which has long restricted arms sales to the Burmese military regime, on Tuesday renewed its call for an international arms embargo on Burma.
“Targeting civilians and humanitarian professionals is unacceptable, it is a flagrant violation of human rights and international law (…) The EU stands ready to impose additional sanctions against the military regime”, also indicated Josep Borrell.
Since the February 1 coup and the repression that followed, which plunged the country into chaos, Brussels has blacklisted nearly 30 people and six entities, sanctioning them with a ban on entry into the country. ‘EU and an asset freeze.
Brussels also decided to continue blocking financial aid going directly to the government and to freeze any EU aid that could be seen as legitimizing the junta, providing only strictly humanitarian aid to Burma.