Submit this form
Home News Videos Music Photos Facebook Twitter Friends Newsletter Podcasts Mobile RSS
Rwanda, Uganda refute report on arms to DRC

KAMPALA-KIGALI, 28 Jul 2005 (IRIN) - Uganda and Rwanda have denied statements contained in a report issued on Wednesday by the UN Security Council that the two countries had delayed to give information to officials monitoring arms sanctions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"We have not delayed anything," Uganda's foreign minister, Sam Kuteesa told IRIN on Thursday. "What we have done is to give them information whenever they ask for it."

The main concern of the report by the UN's five-member group of experts on the DRC is that "weak border controls allow for lucrative alliances between leaders of armed groups and unscrupulous businessmen".

The report said the experts had received a number of allegations of weapons deliveries that they could not independently verify but which remained "suspicious".

It also said there were "significant inconsistencies" in statistics provided by the governments of Rwanda, Uganda as well as the DRC on the production, import and export of precious metals.

Rwanda's foreign affairs director Alphonse Kayitaire told IRIN on Thursday: "We took [members of the group experts] everywhere they wanted, including customs offices."

He added: "We responded to each and every issue they asked both in written form and verbally. It is absurd that they now turn around and report the opposite of what transpired."

The experts said they had asked Rwanda for information on the whereabouts of DRC rebel leaders Jules Mutebutsi and Laurent Nkunda, and their followers. "This information has yet to be provided," their report noted.

They had also asked Uganda to provide details of meetings with leaders of armed groups fighting in Ituri, the district in eastern DRC that borders Uganda. The report said, "The group is still waiting for this information."

Kuteesa, Uganda's foreign minister, complained that "whenever we give information they have asked for more".

The report recommends that the UN Security Council sanctions need to be extended. "The arms embargo demands a flexible and permanent mechanism for unambiguous information-sharing and cooperative action between states."

Kayitaire said: "I am sure they are looking for a renewal of their mandate to keep their jobs."


Related articles


  1. 'Deadly environment' plus 'political and social' obstacles hinder Ebola fight, Security Council hears (July 24, 2019)
  2. Ebola outbreak declared an international Public Health Emergency (July 17, 2019)
  3. At least 30 dead after massacres in Ituri (March 2, 2018)
  4. ICC Confirms 14-Year Sentence Against Thomas Lubanga (December 1, 2014)
  5. ICC sentences Germain Katanga to 12 years (May 23, 2014)
  6. ICC finds Germain Katanga guilty of war crimes and crime against humanity (March 7, 2014)
  7. Bosco Ntaganda Attacked Civilians on Ethnic Grounds, ICC Prosecutor Says (February 10, 2014)
  8. DR Congo Asks Rwanda to Turn Over M23 Rebel Leaders (July 26, 2013)
  9. Rebel Leader Bosco Ntaganda Makes First Appearence Before the ICC (March 26, 2013)
  10. Bosco Ntaganda in the International Criminal Court's custody (March 22, 2013)
  11. International Criminal Court Acquits Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui (December 18, 2012)
  12. DR Congo, Rwanda Sign Pact to Fight Rebels in Eastern Congo (July 15, 2012)
  13. Kagame Is A Problem for The U.S. and The U.K. (June 23, 2012)
  14. ICC Prosecutor Seeks 30 Years for Thomas Lubanga (June 13, 2012)
  15. UN Report Accuses Rwanda of Supporting Bosco Ntaganda Rebels (May 28, 2012)
  16. ICC Prosecutor Seeks New Charges Against Ntaganda, FDLR Leader (May 14, 2012)
  17. Kabila's Position on The Arrest of Ntaganda 'Has Not Changed' (April 13, 2012)
  18. Kabila, Army Chief of Staff head to eastern Congo to deal with defectors (April 10, 2012)
  19. DR Congo Government Warns Bosco Ntaganda He May Face Justice (April 6, 2012)
  20. Thomas Lubanga found guilty of using child soldiers (March 14, 2012)
  21. Kabila Confident He Will Win Re-Election (October 18, 2011)
  22. Militiamen Sent to Testify in Warlords Trials at ICC (March 28, 2011)
  23. UN Report: CNDP, Congolese Soldiers Involved in Illegal Mining Operations (November 30, 2010)
  24. Thomas Lubanga trial to resume at ICC (October 8, 2010)
  25. ICC suspends release of Thomas Lubanga (July 23, 2010)
  26. ICC orders the release of Thomas Lubanga (July 15, 2010)
  27. ICC suspends Thomas Lubanga trial (July 8, 2010)
  28. Lubanga Witness Says He Was Paid US$200 To Tell Lies (February 8, 2010)
  29. DR Congo says ex-rebel chief Nkunda to be extradited from Rwanda in 2010 (January 18, 2010)
  30. UN Security Council renews arms embargo and sanctions in DR Congo (November 30, 2009)


Live TV Congo Radio en ligne Radio
Available on App Store
Get it on Google Play



Contact Us | About Us | Édition en Français | French Edition

© CongoPlanet.com. All rights reserved.