Americas

Americas

UN Security Council renews sanctions on Congolese armed groups

30 November 2011 01:32 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution to renew the arms embargo as well as a related set of sanctions against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for another year, APA reports.

At the start of an open-door meeting on the DRC, the 15-nation council unanimously adopted a French draft resolution that continued the regime of sanctions until Nov. 30, 2012.

It renewed an arms embargo against illegal armed groups. Additionally, it included a set of measures such as a travel ban and assets freeze.

Resolution 2021 declared the council’s "determination to continue to monitor closely the implementation of the arms embargo and other measures set out by its resolutions concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

In the resolution, the council voiced its "serious concern" regarding the presence of armed groups, including in the provinces of North and South Kivu and Orientale, which "perpetuate a climate of insecurity."

The UN body in charge of maintaining peace and security also reiterated its concern about the support received by the armed groups from regional and internal networks.

Currently, the DRC is in the midst of an election season, with millions of Congolese going to the polls on Nov. 28 to elect a president and parliament.