Key facts
- The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on leaders of armed groups in eastern Congo.
- Sanctioned groups include the Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 rebels and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
- Six individuals and two entities were added to the sanctions list.
- Corneille Nangaa, John Imani Nzenze, and Gustave Kubwayo are among the sanctioned individuals.
- The sanctions comprise an arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze.
The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on leaders of armed groups operating in eastern Congo, including the Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 rebels and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The conflict in eastern Congo is rooted in the fallout from neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide, with fighting intensifying last year as the M23 rebel group seized large areas.
The UN Security Council announced that a committee overseeing an arms embargo on the Democratic Republic of the Congo added six individuals and two entities to its sanctions list. Among those sanctioned are Corneille Nangaa, leader of the AFC rebel alliance which includes M23, John Imani Nzenze, M23's chief of intelligence, and Gustave Kubwayo, an FDLR commander. Nzenze and Kubwayo were previously sanctioned by the United States for their alleged role in driving the conflict despite mediation efforts. The UN sanctions regime includes an arms embargo, a travel ban, and an assets freeze.