The European Union has decided Monday to maintain for one year « restrictive measures » against 12 executives of the regime of former President Joseph Kabila, and to lift them for two of them, including the former minister of justice. Communication.
The European Council made this decision « on the basis of an assessment of the situation in the DRC, » the EU said in a statement. Brussels recalls that the country experienced at the beginning of the year the « first peaceful transfer of power » of its history. The EU has not provided any names.
A diplomatic source, former Kabila regime spokesman Lambert Mende, and former head of the National Security Agency’s (ANR) internal security department, Roger Kibelisa, are the beneficiaries of the sanctions.
M. Mende has become a simple deputy again. In March, Kibelisa was appointed assistant to the special advisor on security for the new head of state, Felix Tshisekedi.
« I continue to challenge the right for the European Union to take sanctions against the leaders of a country like the DRC that is not a member of the European Union, » reacted Lambert Mende, joined by the website information News.cd.
These sanctions (freezing of assets and visas) were imposed in December 2016 and early 2017, for violation of human rights and obstruction of the electoral process.
The former head of ANR, Kalev Mutond, and Joseph Kabila’s party leader and former presidential candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, remain punished.
Also on the list is Inspector General of the Army John Numbi, who was called last week to the staff in Beni (east) to support the morale of the troops against the armed groups.
Persistence of violence
Tshisekedi was inaugurated as president on Jan. 24 after the December 30 elections.
The EU « welcomes the first steps of political relaxation and opening of democratic space and encourages the Congolese authorities to continue their efforts ».
Brussels points to « the persistence of corruption, money laundering, infringement of property rights and misappropriation of public funds ».
« The persistence of a high number of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as violence, including sexual violence, requires an appropriate judicial response, » the EU insists.
« In the east of the country, particularly in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, the level of insecurity and instability, the lack of state authority in some territories and the high number of human rights violations committed by the armed groups but also by State agents, remain worrying « , according to Brussels.
The EU calls for reform of the « Constitutional Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission » for the upcoming elections.
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