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United Nations resolution adopted in 1977 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, adopted unanimously on 4 November 1977, imposed a mandatory arms embargo against 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.
| UN Security Council Resolution 418 | ||
|---|---|---|
(formerly SAS Good Hope), a 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/418 (Document) | |
| Subject | South Africa | |
Voting summary |
| |
| Result | Adopted | |
| Security Council composition | ||
Permanent members | ||
Non-permanent members | ||
| ||
The embargo was lifted by Resolution 919[2] following democratic elections in South Africa in 1994.
The embargo had a direct impact on South Africa in a number of ways:
The South African government devised a number of strategies to bypass the embargo to obtain military technology and components that it was unable to procure openly. United Nations Security Council Resolution 591 was passed in 1986 to extend the embargo and to tighten some of the loopholes.
Many armaments were wholly designed and manufactured in South Africa, as reflected by the growth and export business of Armscor. South African defence industries were able to successfully meet demand in some areas such as ammunition, infantry weapons, missile technology and armoured vehicles but struggled when it came to the development of combat aircraft, attack helicopters and main battle tanks.[7] For more advanced systems, Armscor would often modernise and improve on designs imported or licence-built in the years prior to the embargo, sometimes to the point of being an almost completely different design (such as the Atlas Oryx helicopter or Olifant main battle tank). By the 1980s, almost all of South Africa's weapons were domestically developed.[8]
Notable operations that came to light were:
Computer and air traffic control radar systems ostensibly destined for civilian use were diverted to the military.[10]
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 Carver.[10]
In some 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.
South Africa exchanged military technology with other states in a similar position to itself, notably through the Israel–South Africa Agreement, as well as with Taiwan and Morocco. Between 1977 and 1991, Morocco was involved in transfer of French technology, French armaments and designs to South Africa, and in return South African Forces and specialists went to train the Moroccan Armed Forces and Police[11]
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