EU Court Annuls Sanctions Listings of 2 Former DRC Officials

The EU General Court in a pair of decisions July 10 annuled the sanctions listings for two former Democratic Republic of Congo officials -- Evariste Boshab, former deputy prime minister and minister of the interior and security, and Alex Mupompa, former governor of Kasai Central and member of parliament, according to an unofficial translation.

Both Boshab and Mupompa were sanctioned in 2017 for obstructing the resolution of the political strife in the DRC and for contributing and planning serious human rights abuses while in office. Boshab allegedly ordered police and security services to arrest activists and opposition members, while Mupompa was listed for the use of violence and extrajudicial killings by security forces in the Kasai Central region.

The court said the European Council could no longer keep the pair on the sanctions list given that they are no longer "in a position to exert a negative influence on the security situation" in the DRC. Due to the political transition in 2018, the council can't show that Boshab or Mupompa can still be sanctioned for their contributions to human rights violations in the DRC.