Background to the sanctions against the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Background to the sanctions
The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has long been very serious, with an armed conflict still in progress in the eastern parts of the country contributing to a difficult security situation for the civilian population. Conflicting political ambitions, underlying economic interests and interference from regional actors undermine the peace efforts. The illegal mining of the country´s natural resources plays a key role in the financing of the conflicts in the east and is therefore closely linked to the causes and duration of the conflicts.
In July 2003 the UN Security Council introduced sanctions against the Kivu provinces and the Ituri district in the eastern parts of the DRC. Violence in these areas of the country and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law were considered to pose a threat to international peace and security (see UN Security Council Resolution 1493 (2003)). Initially, an arms embargo was introduced aimed at this specific part of the country, although it did not apply to the UN peacekeeping mission MONUC. In light of the continued illicit flow of weapons in the DRC, additional sanctions were introduced in 2005 which then applied to the entire country. Resolution 1596 (2005) expanded the arms embargo to apply to recipients throughout the DRC´s territory, but at the same time exempted the government´s security forces under certain conditions, prohibited technical and financial assistance in connection with the arms embargo, introduced travel bans for and froze the assets of certain persons and entities. Certain restrictions were also introduced on air traffic in the most troubled provinces of eastern Congo. Since then, several UN resolutions have been adopted and the sanctions against the DRC have subsequently been modified and extended.
