UN Sanctions M23’s Nangaa, FDLR and ADF Commanders

Congolese rebel leaders, Corneille Nangaa (L) and Sultani Makenga in DRC recently

The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on senior commanders of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), in a move aimed at disrupting the leadership and financing of some of the deadliest armed groups operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Security Council Committee established under Resolution 1533 (2004) announced this week that six individuals and two armed groups had been added to its sanctions list, subjecting them to an international asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

Among those designated is Muhammed Lumisa, a Ugandan national identified by the United Nations as a commander, doctor and head of external logistics for the ADF.

The U.N. said Lumisa, who was born in Kampala District, “is involved in planning, promulgating, and supporting the militia’s activities” and “also oversees the group’s external logistics.”

The ADF, which originated in Uganda before relocating to eastern Congo in the late 1990s, remains the main target of Operation Shujaa, the joint military campaign launched by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Congolese army in 2021.

Ugandan authorities have blamed the group for numerous massacres in eastern Congo and the 2021 suicide bombings in Kampala.

The Security Council also sanctioned John Imani Nzenze, identified as M23’s intelligence chief. According to the U.N., “as a leader of M23, John Imani Nzenze is involved in planning, promulgating and supporting the armed group’s activities.”

Former Congolese electoral commission chairman Corneille Nangaa, now leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), was also designated. The U.N. described AFC as a politico-military movement allied with the U.N.-sanctioned M23 rebellion.

Two senior commanders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) were also added to the blacklist.

The U.N. said Sebastien Uwimbabazi, an FDLR brigadier general, “has and continues to engage in or provide support for acts that undermine the peace, stability and security of the DRC.”

Another FDLR commander, Gustave Kubwayo, also known as “Surcouf”, was sanctioned for his role in the group’s military operations.

The Security Council said Kubwayo “is involved in planning, promulgating and supporting the armed group’s activities, such as targeting civilians, kidnapping for ransom and illegally exploiting natural resources.”

Also listed was Charles Sematama, commander of the Congolese armed group Twirwaneho, while the Committee simultaneously designated both Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and Twirwaneho as sanctioned entities.

According to the U.N., Twirwaneho “has been involved in atrocities in South Kivu, including the killing of civilians, recruiting children, and activities that threaten the peace and security of the people of the DRC.”

Under the sanctions, all U.N. member states must freeze any assets belonging to the listed individuals and entities, prohibit them from travelling through their territories and prevent the supply of arms or military assistance to them.

The new designations come just weeks after the Security Council renewed the DRC sanctions regime until July 2027, extending the mandate of the U.N. Group of Experts investigating sanctions violations, illicit arms flows and the trafficking of conflict minerals that finance armed groups.

The latest sanctions underscore growing international efforts to target the leadership of armed groups whose activities continue to fuel instability across the Great Lakes region, despite ongoing military operations by regional forces and diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern Congo.