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DE RUCNDT #0141/01 0451601
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 141601Z FEB 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA IMMEDIATE 1441
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3735
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA IMMEDIATE 0380
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA IMMEDIATE 0339
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI IMMEDIATE 0265
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000141 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2018 
TAGS: DRC PREL UNSC PGOV ETTC
SUBJECT: UN/DRC SANCTIONS: COUNCIL REVIEWS SANCTIONS REGIME 
 
 
Classified By: MINISTER-COUNSELOR JEFF DELAURENTIS, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) 
 AND (D). 
 
COUNCIL REVIEWS REPORT ON SANCTIONS IMPLEMENTATION 
¶1. (C) GUIDANCE REQUEST: USUN seeks Department position on 
developing a list of names for targeted sanctions in the DRC 
Sanctions Committee. 
 
¶2. (C) SUMMARY AND GUIDANCE REQUEST: The Security Council met 
on February 13 to review the sanctions regime concerning the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo before its expiration on 
February 15, and all delegations expressed support for the 
French draft resolution that will extend the sanctions until 
March 31.  The French intend to rewrite the regime in the 
interim to refine its more cumbersome elements and clarify 
its focus on targeting militias.  The DRC Sanctions Committee 
also met on February 8, in advance of the Council's 
consultations, to discuss the Group of Experts's report on 
the implementation of the sanctions. The Group found that 
illegal armed groups operating in Eastern Congo continued to 
easily acquire arms, despite the arms embargo, and suggested 
a number of rebels for targeted sanctions.  The UK expressed 
privately to USUN its interest in moving forward on targeted 
sanctions on FDLR elements.  DPKO also briefed the Committee 
on the GDRC's resistance to coordinating incoming shipments 
of arms with MONUC.  END SUMMARY. 
 
COUNCIL CONSULTATIONS ON THE SANCTIONS 
 
¶3. (C) The Security Council met on February 13 to review of 
the sanctions regime concerning the Democratic Republic of 
the Congo (DRC) in advance of the expiration of the sanctions 
and the mandate of the Group of Experts on February 15. 
There was general agreement that, though there had been 
progress in recent weeks, the security situation in eastern 
Congo remained fragile and sanctions continued to play a 
valuable role in the international community's efforts to 
encourage stability.  The French delegation indicated it 
would redraft the sanctions regime to clarify its focus on 
denying arms to militias, rather than on the Government of 
the DRC (GDRC).  USUN, China, Belgium, and Burkina Faso all 
said that the sanctions should support the Government of the 
DRC in consolidating peace. 
 
¶4. (C) Costa Rica, Croatia and Panama also argued that the 
DRC Sanctions Committee should address the recruitment of 
children into conflict, which the Group of Experts raised in 
its report.  (Note: In past DRC Sanctions Committee meetings, 
Russia and South Africa have insisted that any discussion of 
recruitment of children falls outside of the Committee's 
mandate and should be addressed by the Working Group on 
Children and Armed Conflict. End note.) 
 
SANCTIONS COMMITTEE DISCUSSES THE GROUP'S REPORT 
 
¶5. (C) The DRC Sanctions Committee met informally on February 
8 to discuss the Group's report, which covered the period of 
November 2007 to January 2008.  The Group, which serves as 
the Committee's investigative body on the ground, found that 
illegal armed groups in eastern Congo--of which FDLR and CNDP 
continued to pose the greatest threat to stability--also 
continued to receive arms, either via smuggling networks or, 
in the case of the FDLR, from individual FARDC elements. 
These groups financed their activities by taxing or directly 
producing agricultural or mineral products, and by taxing 
travelers at roadblocks.  The Group considered that all 
mineral output originating in eastern Congo necessarily 
included minerals from deposits controlled or taxed by these 
illegal armed groups.  The Group also suggested a number of 
rebels for targeted sanctions for their violations of the 
arms embargo and recruitment of children into conflict (see 
list in paras 8 and 9). 
 
¶6. (C) USUN noted that the GDRC's persistent lack of capacity 
continued to hinder its implementation the arms embargo in 
the east, and encouraged the Panel to continue collecting 
evidence for targeted sanctions on individuals and entities 
that have violated the sanctions regime.  The UK noted that 
the sanctions on Uganda Commercial Impex and Machanga--two 
gold trading companies found by the Committee to be 
supporting illegal armed groups in eastern Congo--had been 
effective in ceasing their operations, but also expressed 
surprise that banking authorities in Kinshasa did not have 
the list of individuals and entities designated for 
sanctions. (This list is available on the Committee's 
website.)  China noted the importance the government's 
 
support to effective sanctions implementation. 
 
¶7. (C) A representative from the UN Department of 
Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) also briefed, noting that 
MONUC had made a number of efforts to improve its embargo 
monitoring capability.  However, MONUC continued to encounter 
resistance from the GDRC in notifying it of incoming 
shipments of arms and it has prevented MONUC from carrying 
out embargo inspections at airstrips and customs points.  The 
Group confirmed that the GDRC has stated officially that the 
sanctions should be lifted, but noted that some DRC 
authorities also recognized the government's inability to 
control the situation in the east.  The Group added that 
these same authorities gave no consideration to the fact that 
the FARDC is still a major conduit of arms to armed groups. 
Committee members agreed to establish better communication 
with the Congolese Mission to underline that the Council's 
measures are intended to support the GDRC in extending its 
authority throughout the country. 
 
¶8. (C) The Group recommended for targeted sanctions the 
following individuals for belonging to an illegal armed group: 
- Juma Ngilinshuti, External Relations Commissioner, FDLR-FOCA 
- Callixte Mbarushimana, Executive Secretary, FDLR-FOCA 
- Stanislas Nzeyimana, Deputy Commander, FDLR-FOCA 
- Pacifique Ntawunguka, North Kivu Commander, FDLR-FOCA 
- Leopold Mujyambere, South Kivu Commander, FDLR-FOCA 
- Sikuli Lafontaine, Leader, PARECO 
- Jean Damascene Ndibabaje (AKA: Musare), Commander of 
RUD-Urunana 
- Venant Bisoko, commander, Moranvia Group 
- Michel Rukunda, commander, Moranvia Group 
 
¶9. (C) The Group recommended for targeted sanctions the 
following individuals for belonging to an illegal armed group 
and for recruiting and using children in conflict: 
- Innocent Kakundi, brigade commander, CNDP 
- Saltani Makenga, brigade commander, CNDP 
- Claude Micho, brigade commander, CNDP 
- Wilson Sengiyumva, brigade commander, CNDP 
- Faustin Muhindo, brigade commander, CNDP 
 
¶10. (C) The Group expressed privately that although Kakundi 
and Makenga belonged to CNDP, which had signed the Actes 
d,Engagement, the Committee could still target them for 
their child recruitment activities.  In a separate private 
conversation with the UK, France and Belgium, the UK 
expressed its willingness to move forward with targeted 
sanctions on FDLR members, and noted that London would begin 
developing cases to submit to the Committee for sanctions. 
WOLFF