United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
| UN Security Council Resolution 418 | ||
|---|---|---|
 ARA Drummond (formerly SAS Good Hope), an D'Estienne d'Orves class corvette whose sale to South Africa was blocked by UNSCR 418 | ||
| Date | 4 November 1977 | |
| Meeting no. | 2,046 | |
| Code | S/RES/409 (Document) | |
| Subject | South Africa | |
Voting summary |
| |
| Result | Adopted | |
| Security Council composition | ||
Permanent members | ||
Non-permanent members | ||
| ||
| International opposition to apartheid in South Africa |
|---|
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, adopted unanimously on 4 November 1977, imposed a mandatory arms embargo against apartheid South Africa.[1] This resolution differed from the earlier Resolution 282, which was only voluntary. The embargo was subsequently tightened and extended by Resolution 591.
Impact
The ban had a direct impact in some of the following ways:
- Last minute cancellation of the sale of corvettes and Agosta submarines by France.[2][3]
- The purchase of Strike Craft from Israel, some of which had to be built covertly in South Africa instead.
- South Africa's inability to purchase modern fighter aircraft to counter the air superiority of Cuban Mig 23s over the SAAF in the South African Border War.[4]
- The growth of the modern day multi-billion dollar South African arms industry.
- The end of shipments by the United States of enriched uranium fuel for South Africa's Safari research nuclear reactor.[5]
The embargo was lifted by Resolution 919[6] following democratic elections in 1994.
Circumvention of the embargo
The apartheid government worked around the embargo in a number of ways to source military technology and components that it was unable to procure openly. This resulted in United Nations Security Council Resolution 591 being passed in 1986, which tightened up some of the loopholes and extended the embargo.
Local production
Many armaments were wholly designed and manufactured in South Africa, as reflected by the growth and export business of Armscor.
Smuggling
Notable operations that came to light were:
- The 1984 case of the Coventry Four. Four South African businessmen in the UK were found to be operating a front company on the behalf of Kentron that was sourcing materiel in defiance of the ban.
- The arrest and imprisonment of Gerald Bull for developing the G5 howitzer for Armscor
- The nuclear weapons programme reached its peak during the embargo; According to David Albright, components for the programme were imported without the knowledge of the international community, or put to ingenious uses that had not been envisaged by the enforcers of the ban.[5]
Dual purpose equipment
Computer and air traffic control radar systems ostensibly destined for civilian use were diverted to the military.[7]
Use of foreign specialists
The South African government was able to hire the services of foreign technicians, for example Israeli specialists who had worked on the Lavi fighter aircraft were recruited by Atlas Aircraft Corporation to work on the Atlas Cheetah and Atlas CAVA.[7]
Licensed production
In somes cases, foreign armaments were simply produced under license in South Africa, as in the case of the Warrior Class Strike Craft, the R4 assault rifle and Atlantis Diesel Engines.
Co-operation with other states
South Africa exchanged military technology with other states in a similar position to itself, notably Israel.[8]
See also
- Armscor (South Africa)
- Denel
- History of South Africa in the Apartheid era
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 401 to 500 (1976 – 1982)
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 181
References
- ^ "Resolution 418". United Nations. November 4, 1977.
- ^ "Victor Moukambi dissertation.doc" (PDF). University of Stellenbosch. 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2009-02-27. [dead link]
- ^ Andre Wessels (20 April 2007). "The South African Navy During The Years of Conflict In Southern Africa, 1966-1989" (PDF). Sabinet Online Ltd. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help); External link in|publisher= - ^ Hilton Hamann (2001). Days of the Generals. South Africa: Zebra. pp. p99. ISBN 1868723402. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ a b David Albright (1994). "South Africa and the Affordable Bomb". Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: 37–47.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "Albright" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ "Resolution 919". United Nations. May 26, 1994.
- ^ a b Geldenhuys, Deon (1990). Isolated States: A Comparative Analysis. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "Africa Review" (PDF). National Security Archive. 1981-06-08. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
External links
