The United Nations Security Council (UNSC)has imposed sanctions on six senior commanders of armed groups operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, subjecting them to an international asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo in a move aimed at disrupting the leadership and financing of some of the deadliest militia forces in the region.
The designations were approved by the Security Council Committee established under Resolution 1533 on 14 July and announced on Thursday.
Two armed groups were also added to the sanctions list alongside the six individuals.
Among those designated is Sebastien Uwimbabazi, a brigadier general and current leader of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, known by its French acronym FDLR.
Also sanctioned is Gustave Kubwayo, also known as Sirkoof, a colonel commanding the FDLR’s elite intelligence and special operations unit, the Commando de Recherche et d’Action en Profondeur.
The Security Council also sanctioned Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo, a politico-military movement allied with the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement, known as M23.
John Imani Nzenze, M23’s chief of intelligence, was also designated.
Muhammed Lumisa, an Ugandan national identified as a commander and head of external logistics for the Allied Democratic Forces, was among those sanctioned.
The Allied Democratic Forces, which originated in Uganda before relocating to eastern Congo in the late 1990s, has been blamed for numerous massacres in eastern Congo and the 2021 suicide bombings in Kampala.
Charles Sematama, military leader of the armed group Twirwaneho, was also designated.
The Security Council further placed both the Alliance Fleuve Congo and Twirwaneho under full UN sanctions as entities.
The FDLR was formed by remnants of forces responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and remains one of the longest-operating foreign armed groups in eastern Congo.
The United Nations said the measures were intended to disrupt the financing, leadership and operations of the designated groups.
Eastern Congo has experienced thousands of civilian deaths and a mass displacement crisis driven by ongoing conflict between M23, Congolese army-aligned militias, and other armed groups.
M23, which is backed by Rwanda, has rapidly expanded its territorial control in the region, capturing the capitals of North and South Kivu provinces, Goma and Bukavu.
(The Whistler)
