Foreign policy and sanctions

Executive Order 12918: Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect to Rwanda and Delegating Authority With Respect to Other United Nations Arms Embargoes

President: Bill Clinton

Implemented the 1994 UN arms embargo on Rwanda and delegated future UN-mandated arms-embargo administration to State and Commerce.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 12918 still in effect? No. Executive Order 12918 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 12918 do?

EO 12918 implemented the UN arms embargo on Rwanda through U.S. export controls and assigned State and Commerce separate roles. It also delegated authority for other UN arms embargoes. The UN removed the remaining Rwanda embargo measures in 2008. A 2012 Commerce rule then removed Rwanda-specific UN embargo controls from the Export Administration Regulations and revised the general UN arms embargo policy. That rule did not remove every other export control that might apply to Rwanda.

Administration position: The order translated a UN embargo into United States controls. It did not create authority beyond its cited statutes.
SignedMay 26, 1994
UN basisResolution 918
LeadsState and Commerce

Before and after

Before the order

Resolution 918 required an embargo but this order had not allocated United States duties.

After the order

State and Commerce could regulate covered exports and relevant later UN embargoes.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
StateAdminister Munitions List restrictionsUnder statute
CommerceAdminister other controlled items with StateUnder statute

What happened next

Resolution 918 imposed the UN arms embargo.

EO 12918 assigned U.S. implementation duties.

Commerce implemented the Rwanda restrictions in the Export Administration Regulations.

Resolution 1823 terminated the remaining UN Rwanda measures.

Commerce removed the Rwanda-specific UN embargo controls and revised its general embargo policy.