By CHIMPREPORTS
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has imposed sanctions on Major Willy Ngoma, the military spokesperson of the M23 rebel movement, and other leaders of various armed movements for committing crimes in Eastern DRC.
In a statement issued on Tuesday night, the Security Council stated that Ngoma was targeted as one of the “political and military leaders of Congolese militias, including those receiving support from outside the DRC, who impede the participation of their combatants in disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes.”
Despite regional leaders directing M23 rebels to lay down weapons during meetings in Luanda and Nairobi in 2022, the M23 rebels, reportedly backed by Rwanda, have continued their fight against Congolese forces, aiming to capture the strategic town of Sake near Goma.
During a briefing to the Security Council in New York on Tuesday, UN Special Representative Bintou Keita described the desperate conditions in severely overcrowded displacement sites in and around Goma.
She noted, “More than 400,000 displaced persons have now sought refuge in the city, including 65,000 in the past two weeks, triggering a dramatic increase in cases of cholera due to a lack of safe drinking water, adequate hygiene, and sanitation.”
Hostilities have escalated significantly since the ceasefire expiration in December, creating a deeply concerning situation around the town of Sake and the provincial capital, Goma. Fighting has intensified in various areas, leading to further displacement towards Goma and the neighboring South Kivu province.
The Security Council accused Ngoma of being a member of the M23 leaders involved in planning, directing, and committing acts in the DRC that constitute human rights violations. These acts include the targeting of civilians, such as killing, maiming, rape, sexual violence, abduction, forced displacement, and attacks on schools and hospitals. Ngoma is further accused of “acting on behalf of or at the direction of an entity owned or controlled by a designated individual or entity.”
Ngoma had previously been sanctioned by the United States in December 2023 for being a member of an armed group that perpetrated human rights abuses, including killings, attacks, and sexual violence against civilians.
Other rebel leaders who have faced similar sanctions include Lt Gen Apollinaire Hakizimana, a Commissioner for Defense for the FDLR-FOCA, Mahmood Hassan (Abu Waqas), a senior leader of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) accused of masterminding bomb attacks in Uganda, Michael Rukunda, the Commander and military leader of the South Kivu-based armed group Twirwaneho, and ADF’s Mohamed Nkalubo.
William Amuri, the founder and leader of MAI-MAI YAKUTUMBA, was also accused of supporting individuals or entities involved in destabilizing activities in the DRC through the illicit exploitation or trade of natural resources, including gold or wildlife and wildlife products.
The sanctions impose an arms embargo, including training and financial assistance, travel bans, and asset freezes on individuals and entities designated by the Committee. However, their effectiveness in deterring rebel leaders from destabilization activities is often limited as they rarely travel or hide assets overseas.
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