The United Nations Security Council has sanctioned six people in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as violent clashes continue between the Congolese army and M23 rebels.
The UN accuses them of violating international humanitarian law.
''The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo approved the addition of the entries specified below to its Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the measures imposed by the Security Council and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations'', the UN said in a statement on Tuesday.
All six individuals were sanctioned with arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze. Those affected are Apollinaire Hakizimana, Ahmad Mamood, Mikel Rukunda, Mohamed Ali Nkalubo, William Amuri, and Willy Ngoma, according to the UN.
'Brink of war'
"The United States firmly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC and lasting peace for all Congolese people. Rwanda and the DRC must walk back from the brink of war," Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood told a meeting of the 15-member Security Council on Tuesday.
As clashes continue, the UN warns of the increased risk of an all-out conflict between Congo and Rwanda that could suck in neighbours and regional forces including South Africa, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi.
A UN peacekeeping force, known as MONUSCO, has been deployed in Congo for more than 13 years after taking over from an earlier UN operation in 2010 to help quell insecurity in the east of the Central African country.
The UN Security Council approved the end of the mission in December, following a request by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in September to fast-track the withdrawal of the peacekeepers.
Large scale displacements
In the latest clashes, fighting has been reported in and around the M23-controlled area of Masisi Territory in North Kivu Province, near the border with Rwanda and Uganda, after six months of fragile calm.
The East African Community Regional Force has urged the warring parties to revert to a ceasefire agreement brokered by regional leaders.
In October last year, the UN said the number of internally displaced people within Congo had reached a record 6.9 million due to escalating violence.
In North Kivu, up to one million residents have reportedly been displaced due to the conflict with the M23.
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