{"id":54258,"date":"2022-12-09T12:17:43","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T12:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.bwiza.com\/2022\/12\/09\/eu-slaps-sanctions-against-fdlr-s-col-ruhinda-maj-ngoma-of-m23\/"},"modified":"2022-12-09T12:17:43","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T12:17:43","slug":"eu-slaps-sanctions-against-fdlr-s-col-ruhinda-maj-ngoma-of-m23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bwiza.com\/?p=54258","title":{"rendered":"EU slaps sanctions against FDLR&#8217;s Col Ruhinda, Maj Ngoma of M23"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The News Times<\/p>\n<p>Protogene Ruvugayimikore, a senior commander of the FDLR, has been put on the latest sanctions list of the European Union for committing atrocities in DR Congo.<\/p>\n<p>FDLR is a terrorist group founded by Rwandans responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who fled to DR Congo after the killings were brought to an end.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dXdEvV2NC78\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Ruvugayimikore, who has several assumed names including Ruhinda; Gaby Ruhinda; Zorro Midende, is one of the eight people who now face travel bans and asset freezes over their role in the insecurity in eastern DR Congo, the EU said in a statement on Thursday, December 8.<\/p>\n<p>According to the sanctions list released on Thursday, December 8, Ruvugayimikore \u201cleads in particular, the Maccab\u00e9 Group (formerly known as the Commando de recherche et d&#8217;action en profondeur (CRAP) of the FDLR-FOCA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FDLR-FOCA, including the Maccab\u00e9 Group, contributes to the armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the DRC, in particular through violence and serious human rights abuses, including attacks on civilians, killings, violence against children, rapes and other acts of sexual violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FDLR has been operating in the neighbouring countries for close to three decades now.<\/p>\n<p>Owing to his leading position in the FDLR, it continues, \u201cRuvugayimikore \u201cis therefore involved in planning, directing or committing acts that constitute serious human rights violations or abuses in the DRC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is also responsible for sustaining the armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the DRC.\u201d<br \/>\nThe EU Council decided on Wednesday to add the eight people, who included members of various eastern Congo-based armed groups (FDLR, CODECO, ADF, Mai-Mai Yakutumba and M23) and a Congolese politician and one member of the FARDC, the country\u2019s armed forces as well as a Belgian businessman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of them are responsible for serious human rights violations and abuses and for sustaining the armed conflict in the DRC,\u201d the statement said, adding that \u201cOthers have been listed for inciting violence and exploiting the conflict through the illicit exploitation or trade of natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the sanctions list is Joseph Nganzo Olikwa Tipi, an FARDC commander also known as Colonel Tipi Ziro Ziro, Joseph Ngadjole, Joseph Nganzole Olikwa.<\/p>\n<p>Until January 2022, Colonel Tipi was the commander of the 312th battalion of the 31st Main Defence Brigade of the FARDC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cForces of the 312th battalion under his command and responsibility have committed attacks on civilians and serious human rights violations, in particular rapes of women between June and December 2021,\u201d the list reads in part.<\/p>\n<p>Colonel Tipi, who \u201cremains a high-ranking officer in the FARDC\u201d is the commander of a Rapid Reaction Brigade in Minembwe, South Kivu, and the EU said he is \u201cinvolved in planning, directing or committing acts that constitute serious human rights violations or abuses in the DRC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also sanctioned is Justin Bitakwira, a.k.a. Bihona-Hayi, a Congolese politician and former government minister, who, according to the EU, \u201chas repeatedly incited violence and encouraged discrimination and hostility towards the Banyamulenge community, which has been targeted and attacked by armed groups.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bitakwira\u2019s \u201cinflammatory speeches and narratives contribute to fuelling the conflict and violence in the DRC,\u201d the list says.<\/p>\n<p>The armed groups of FDLR, CODECO and Mai-Mai Yakutumba, in particular, have allied with the FARDC to fight the M23 rebel group in North Kivu province. The coalition is working closely with the UN peacekeepers under MONUSCO.<\/p>\n<p>Meddie Nkalubo, a senior leader of the ADF, a Ugandan militia group based in Ituri Province, also features on the list.<\/p>\n<p>On the sanctions list is William Yakutumba, the secretary general of the coalition of Mai-Mai militias in South Kivu, and is the founder and leader of the Mai-Mai Yakutumba.<\/p>\n<p>D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Londroma Ndjukpa, is the leader of CODECO, which is accused of contributing to eastern Congo insecurity through \u201cviolence and serious human rights abuses, including killings, sexual violence and attacks on civilians such as attacks on internally displaced persons\u2019 camps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also sanctioned is Alain Goetz, a Belgian businessman and the beneficial owner and former director of African Gold Refinery Ltd, registered in Uganda.<\/p>\n<p>The EU said Goetz is \u201cexploiting the armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the DRC through the illicit exploitation and trade of natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also on the list is Major Willy Ngoma, military spokesperson of the M23, who is accused of \u201csustaining the armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the DRC.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The News Times Protogene Ruvugayimikore, a senior commander of the FDLR, has been put on the latest sanctions list of the European Union for committing atrocities in DR Congo. FDLR is a terrorist group founded by Rwandans responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who fled to DR Congo after the killings were brought [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[131],"class_list":["post-54258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics-en","tag-in-slide-rw"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>EU slaps sanctions against FDLR&#039;s Col Ruhinda, Maj Ngoma of M23 - BWIZA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bwiza.com\/?p=54258\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EU slaps sanctions against FDLR&#039;s Col Ruhinda, Maj Ngoma of M23 - BWIZA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The News Times Protogene Ruvugayimikore, a senior commander of the FDLR, has been put on the latest sanctions list of the European Union for committing atrocities in DR Congo. 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