Security Council Imposes Sanctions On Two DR Congo Rebel Groups

UN Slaps Sanctions On DR Congo Rebels -- Al Jazeera

Security Council blacklists two rebel groups -M23 and FDLR - responsible for war crimes in conflict-ravaged eastern DRC.

The United Nations Security Council has slapped an arms embargo on M23 rebels and their alleged Rwandan allies, the FDLR, amid a flare-up of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern region.

The council committee tasked with monitoring sanctions on the Congo also imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on two key M23 figures: the group's civilian leader Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero and Lieutenant Colonel Eric Badege, a commander suspected of being responsible for the deaths of women and children.

The decision came just hours before Rwanda was set to join the council as a non-permanent member on Tuesday.

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More News On The Security Council Imposing Sanctions On Two DR Congo Rebel Groups

Rebel groups hit with U.N. sanctions over eastern Congo -- Reuters
DR Congo M23 rebels placed under UN sanctions -- BBC
U.N. Security Council imposes arms embargo on Congo rebels -- L.A. Times
UN hits DR Congo rebels with sanctions -- The Australian
UN imposes sanctions on DRC rebels -- Deutsche Welle
UN Sanctions DR Congo M23 Rebels -- RTT
DR Congo welcomes sanctions against rebels -- AFP
East DR Congo militia wants to join peace talks -- AFP
Congo Fighting Leaves A Fragile City On Edge -- NPR

Situation In Eastern DR Congo Still 'Tense'

Situation In DR Congo’s Kivu Provinces Remains Fragile, UN Reports -- UN News Centre

5 December 2012 – The security and humanitarian situation in the Kivu provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile, a United Nations spokesperson said today, adding that the world body is continuing to assist the country on both fronts.

The province of North Kivu has been the site of upheaval and a humanitarian crisis recently, with the occupation of its capital city, Goma, by the 23 March Movement (M23) armed group, composed of soldiers who mutinied in April from the DRC national army, known by the French acronym FARDC.

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More News On Eastern DR Congo

Congo-Kinshasa: UN Refugee Agency Concerned With Security, Peacekeepers Report Volatility -- AllAfrica.com
Rape, looting reported in eastern DRC -- UPI
Violence Increasing Against Displaced People in Eastern DRC -- Voice of America
Congo’s M23 rebels say they will talk with President Joseph Kabila’s government in Uganda -- Washington Post/AP
Congo Rebels to Go to Uganda for Negotiations -- ABC News/AP
Peace talks with Congo rebels expected this week -- Reuters
DR Congo rebels, government prepare for peace talks -- Business Recorder
UN Experts: Rwanda Led Rebels in Capture of Goma -- AP
Rwandans Aided Congo Rebel Attack on Goma, UN Is Told -- Bloomberg Businessweek
DR Congo's rebel kaleidoscope -- BBC

DR Congo Troops Re-Enter Goma. M23 Rebels Nearby

Congolese Troops Enter Goma -- Voice of America

Democratic Republic of Congo troops have returned to the eastern city of Goma, although rebels who occupied the city for nearly two weeks remain close by.

Reports from the area said about 600 army troops entered Goma Monday, while government officials also started to return.

​​The M23 rebel group pulled out of the city on Saturday after the brokering of a regional peace deal.

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More News On The War In Eastern Congo

Congo army returns to Goma as M23 demand negotiations -- BBC
Congo back in charge of Goma, U.N. fingers Rwanda again -- Reuters
DR Congo army returns to Goma -- Al Jazeera
Congo army troops return to Goma as rebels remain close -- FOX News/AP
Rwanda, Uganda helped DR Congo rebel offensive: UN experts -- AFP
Rwanda, Uganda helped Congo rebels -- The Australian
Congo's M23 rebels wait for 48-hour deadline to expire -- FOX News/AP
Situation tense in eastern DRC -- UPI
Goma residents fear renewed conflict -- Deutsche Welle
Congo rebels' withdrawal from Goma 'purely tactical', say analysts -- The Guardian
What Does the M23 Want? -- Melanie Gouby, Daily Beast

The Warlord Who Is Leading The Rebels In The Congo Conflict Is Nicknamed 'The Terminator'

General Bosco Ntaganda, dubbed 'the Terminator', is leading a mutiny against the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo which has sent tens of thousands of villagers fleeing. Photograph: STR New/Reuters

Congo's "The Terminator": At Large But Out Of Sight -- Reuters

(Reuters) - He is one of the most wanted war crimes fugitives in the world and the International Criminal Court lists him as "at large".

Bosco "The Terminator" Ntaganda, the Rwandan-born Tutsi warlord U.N. experts say controls the M23 rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has stayed largely invisible as M23 fighters notch up military success after success.

Ntaganda, wanted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity - including recruiting child soldiers, murder, rape and sexual slavery - was not sighted among the M23 commanders who paraded victoriously through the eastern Congolese city of Goma on Tuesday after it fell to the rebels.

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My Comment: More news on Bosco "The Terminator" Ntaganda and the role that Rwanda is playing in this rebellion can be read here.

Congo Rebels Vow To Take Over The Country

Congo Rebels, After Victory, Vow To Take The Capital -- New York Times

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — No visa is necessary to cross this border anymore. Nor do red-eyed soldiers hang around reeking of home-brew. Gone, too, are many of the quasi-government officials who used to buzz around this border post harassing travelers and squeezing out bribes, including one little man who claimed to be a health officer and had “Doc” scribbled in Magic Marker on his coat.

Instead, the doorway to Goma, one of Congo’s largest and most strategic cities, is now manned by lean, young rebels in crisp fatigues. They captured this town on Tuesday, ridding it of an often sloppy and menacing Congolese Army presence, and on Wednesday the rebels announced at a triumphant rally that Goma was just the beginning.

“We’re going to Kinshasa!” vowed Col. Vianney Kazarama, a spokesman for the M23 rebel group.

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More News On The Conflict In The Congo

Rebels threaten wider Democratic Republic of Congo conflict -- CNN
M23 rebels vow to take Congo, as troops defect -- AP
Rebels pledge to 'liberate' Congo after seizing city -- NBC
Congo conflict: Rebels set sights on capital Kinshasa -- Toronto Star
DRC Rebels Vow to Overthrow Government -- Voice of America
UN Warns of ‘External Support’ of DRC Rebels -- Voice of America
U.N. defends failed attempt to halt capture of Congo's Goma -- Reuters
Women and children flee Democratic Republic of Congo after rebels invade Goma -- CNN
DR Congo General sold arms to rebel groups: U.N. report -- Reuters
UN Report: Rwanda Commanding Congo Rebel Force -- AP
UN Forces Reinforced in Goma -- Voice of America
Congo rebellion stretching peacekeeping force -- FOX News/AP
Led by Rwanda, Congo army mutiny became well-armed revolt-UN experts -- Reuters
Congo Army Prepares Response as Goma Fall ‘Threatens’ Kabila -- Bloomberg Businessweek
East African leaders tell rebels to quit Goma -- Al Jazeera
Congo's rebels seek to nurture popular movement -- Reuters
Congo: Will the U.N. take action against rebels' backers? -- Michelle Nichols, Christian Science Monitor
Goma's fall: Could UN troops in Congo have done more to prevent it? -- Mike Pflanz, Christian Science Monitor
UN Condemns Rebels Wreaking Havoc in Congo; US Shields Rwanda's Role -- Evelyn Leopold, Huffington Post