Sanctions have been imposed by the European Union on a number of participants in the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They include Willy Ngoma, a spokesperson for the M23 rebel faction.
The M23 is held accountable for committing human rights violations, including sexual assault, and generating instability and insecurity in eastern DR Congo.
More than 130 locals were allegedly killed by the group last week during the violence, according to the UN. The M23 refuted the assertion, attributing all but eight fatalities to “stray gunfire.”
Joseph Nganzo Olikwa Tipi, a senior member of the Congolese army, is one of individuals whose assets have been frozen and who has been placed on a travel ban.
According to reports, between June and December of last year, the forces under his leadership committed assaults on civilians, including rapes.
A Ugandan named Meddie Nkalubo who is allegedly a key ADF rebel leader involved in rebel recruitment, the manufacture of weapons, and affiliation with the extremist Islamic State group is also included on the list.
Numerous armed factions are active in eastern DR Congo, many of which are vying for control of the area’s mineral wealth.
Alain Goetz, a businessman of Belgian descent, has also received sanctions from the EU. He is charged with taking advantage of the unrest to engage in illegal commerce in natural resources.