Council Extends Arms Embargo in DR of Congo

Security Council Extends Arms Embargo in DR of Congo

New York, Jul 31 2006 6:00PM

The Security Council voted unanimously today to extend by another year its arms embargo against militia groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), condemning the continuing illicit flow of weapons into and around the vast African country.

A day after Congolese began voting in their first and free elections in 45 years, the Council’s resolution expressed concern that arms trafficking is fuelling and exacerbating conflicts throughout Africa’s Great Lakes region.

The 15-member body noted that militias have been exploiting the DRC’s natural resources to generate income to fund their activities. The problem is most acute in the Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the east of the country, where the arms embargo began in 2003.

The sanctions regime has been extended by the Council until the end of July 2007. Any group or person who violates the arms embargo is subject to a travel ban and an assets freeze.

The Council also called on the Group of Experts to continue its mandate of monitoring illegal arms flows for another year. Chaired by Senegal’s Ibra Deguène Ka, the Group is comprised of the following experts: the Canadian Jacques A. J. Buisson (arms trafficking), Switzerland’s Enrico Carish (finance), Abdoulaye Cissoko of Mali (aviation) and France’s Jean-Luc Gallet (customs and border control).

ENDS

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