DR Congo relief as UN Security Council lifts arms ban

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi. PHOTO/FILE/AFP

KINSHASA - The Democratic Republic of Congo has gotten relief from an arms embargo imposed by the UN security council.

United Nations Security Council on Tuesday ended the arms purchase ban on DRC), freeing the country's military to buy new weapons without having to seek permission from the global body's sanctions committee.

This follows a unanimous decision that also extended the mandate of the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Congo — commonly referred to by its French acronym Monusco — by a year to December 2023. Monusco will now have a pre-written working relationship with the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) and the armed forces of the Congo (FARDC) to defeat armed groups.

For decades Kinshasa administration was required by the Council to first notify the sanctions committee of weapons it intends to buy, eliminating an element of surprise on armed groups who were usually armed better than the national forces.

DRC had been under an arms embargo, with the argument that allowing it a free hand to buy weapons was fuelling conflict as some of the arms bought were leaking to the many armed groups in the eastern parts of the country.

Earlier this week the UN Security Council ended the prior notification procedure for the purchase of arms and military equipment by the DRC.
Since 2008, under the notification procedure, arms suppliers had been obliged to notify the UN in case of purchases of all types of arms by the DRC.

France took the lead in presenting Resolution 2667, which was voted for unanimously, and which adjusted the arms embargo on DRC, removing the need for the FARDC to first ask for permission from the sanctions committee of the UN Security Council. However, Resolution 2667 retained the embargo on non-state actors including armed groups.

Kenya supported the lifting of the arms ban with the country’s Permanent Representative Martin Kimani, who said the lifting of the notification requirement is a critical win for DRC. Dr. Kimani said it will now be easier to equip the FARDC to fight the armed groups. Kenya had been vocal against sanctions on DRC, arguing that they crippled the rebuilding of the Congolese army.

British also throw their support calling it an "important tool for monitoring the flow of arms to armed groups in the DRC". In Kinshasa, the lifting of the embargo is seen as a victory for its diplomatic efforts by President Felix Tshisekedi’s government.

Tshisekedi’s administration welcomed the resolution saying it "redressed an injustice that prevented our country from freely acquiring military equipment to enable the DRC's armed forces (FARDC) to have the necessary capacity to defend the country".

GAROWE ONLINE