UN Sanctions ADF Commander Baluku

The United Nations Sanctions Committee has added the leader of Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) Seka Baluku on the list of persons and entities targeted by the sanctions.

Baluku will face the U.N. sanctions in line with Security Council resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of Congo according to the statement by the world body.

“On 6 February 2020, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo added the following individual to the List of Individuals and Entities subject to the measures reaffirmed by paragraph 2 of resolution 2360 (2017),” reads part of the statement released by UN.

In December 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed Musa Baluku five key ADF members who have materially assisted the terror group through recruitment, logistics, administration, financing, intelligence, and operations coordination on its sanctions list. They are Amigo Kibirige, Muhammed Lumisa, Elias Segujja, Kayiira Muhammad and Amisi Kasadha.

The US treasury said the sanctions are intended to limit the financial dealings and access of key ADF leadership and aligns with the DRC government’s broad objectives to tackle ongoing insecurity in eastern DRC.

Baluku, according to the UN, assumed the leadership of the group in 2014 after Sokola operation 1 by Congolese armed forces taking over from Jamil Mukulu who was arrested in 2015 in Tanzania and later extradited to Uganda where is he currently facing charges including Terrorism, Treason and war crimes

Currently, Baluku is believed to be based at Camp Kajuju in Medina II, still in Beni region where he relocated after the group’s main headquarters at Medina I was captured by DR Congo army last month.

The ADF originated from Uganda as a rebel force against the government and carried out deadly bombings in the 1990s. A military campaign forced them to relocate to eastern DRC.

Since October 2014, ADF rebels have been accused of killing more than 1,500 people in the Beni region.

ADF has been blamed for carrying out the deadliest single assault on the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC in almost 25 years.

That attack on December 7, 2017 at a base in Semuliki near Beni killed at least 15 Tanzanian peace keepers wounded 43 others and left one peacekeeper missing.

ADF has in the recent days conducted revenge attacks killing civilian in different area in Beni for supporting government army operations against them.