On Monday 10 December the Council of the European Union decided to extend the current targeted sanctions against Congolese figures who obstructed electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by one year.
The decision was adopted without debate, in conjunction with the European Foreign Ministers meeting. The assets freeze and visa ban on 14 people, including presidential candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, are therefore being extended.
These sanctions were adopted on 12 December 2016 against those in positions of responsibility in the State administration and in the security forces chain of command who were responsible for violence or transition obstruction, and then again on 29 May 2017. They had last been renewed in December 2017 (see EUROPE 11923).
The Council then called on all Congolese actors, and, in the first instance, the Congolese authorities and institutions, to play a constructive role in the electoral process. In view of the presidential elections scheduled for 23 December next, the Council reaffirms the importance of holding credible and inclusive elections in accordance with the Congolese population’s desire to elect their own representatives.
The sanctions will be reviewed in light of the elections, and the Council announced that it will be ready to adapt them accordingly. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)