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$800m worth assets frozen under Congo sanctions by British government

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By Diana Rose Wairumbi

The British government has seized and frozen £580 million ($803 million)  in assets belonging to several dozens of militia leaders, army officers and private organizations with ties to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The assets includes those owned individuals and groups, including warlords convicted by the International Criminal Court, a Congolese general who was convicted of rape, a gold trading company in neighbouring Uganda and two now-defunct Congolese airline companies.

The action was ordered by the European Union (EU) as part of a sanctions regime imposed by the United Nations on the country.

The amount of money frozen was published on Monday on the UK parliament website by Economic Secretary, John Glen in response to questions by members of parliament about sanctions imposed on DRC. His answer gave the total sum of seized assets but with no details of the assets.

Those sanctions were imposed over alleged human rights abuses and delays in replacing DR Congo President Joseph Kabila. His official mandate ran out in December 2016 but he has failed to organise new elections to replace him.  The freezing of the assets puts a strain on the economy of DR Congo as it has an annual gross domestic product of about $30 billion and a budget of $5 billion.

Leaders of Congo’s several militia groups, government officials and military officers are reported to have enriched themselves by trafficking minerals, imposing illegal taxes and stealing public funds, according to the government and various experts.

In 2003, the United Nations first imposed sanctions and arms embargo in Congo after a five-year regional war in the east of the country which killed millions, mostly from hunger and disease.

The United Nations In 2003 first imposed sanctions and arms embargo in DRC after a five-year regional war in the east of the country killing millions, most from disease and hunger.

Congo is Africa’s leading producer of copper and the world’s top miner of cobalt, ranking 176th out of 188 countries on the U.N. Human Development Index.

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