The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has imposed sanctions on several leaders of armed groups operating in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) leader Corneille Nangaa, in a bid to curb violence and hold perpetrators accountable for serious human rights abuses.
Among those sanctioned is Muhammed Lumisa, a commander and senior logistics official of the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), an ISIS‑linked armed group based in eastern DRC and blamed for widespread insecurity and humanitarian suffering in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
Lumisa was listed pursuant to paragraphs 7(a), 7(e), 7(h) and 7(j) of resolution 2293 (2016), reaffirmed by paragraph 2 of resolution 2688 (2023) and paragraph 3 of resolutions 2738 (2024) and 2783 (2025).
“In December 2022, Muhammed Lumisa reportedly led a group of combatants into Ugandan territory with the intent of conducting attacks against civilians and looting property,” the UNSC says, adding that through his leadership and logistical role within the ADF, Lumisa has provided material and operational support to an armed group responsible for serious human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law.
Additionally, ADF has carried out attacks against civilians in eastern DRC, including killings, abductions, destruction of villages, forced displacement, and assaults on schools and hospitals.
The UNSC also sanctioned John Imani Nzenze, identified as M23’s intelligence chief. According to the Council, Nzenze, a leader of M23, is involved in planning, promoting and supporting the group’s activities.
Two senior commanders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) were equally added to the sanctions list: Sebastien Uwimbabazi, an FDLR brigadier general, who “has and continues to engage in or provide support for acts that undermine the peace, stability and security of the DRC.”
The second is FDLR commander Gustave Kubwayo, also known as “Surcouf,” sanctioned for his role in the group’s military operations. The 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, a sanctioned entity like the AFC. According to the UN, 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 UN 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 latest sanctions were imposed shortly after the UNSC extended its sanctions regime on the DRC until July 2027. The Council also renewed the mandate of the UN Group of Experts, which investigates violations of the sanctions, illegal arms transfers, and the trafficking of conflict minerals that finance armed groups in eastern DRC.
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