European Union is expected to sanction nine individuals in connection with violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The sources close to the list did not identify those who would be listed because of the practice of not disclosing such details before sanctions are formally approved. EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the sanctions.
Rebels of the M23 group have seized east Congo’s two biggest cities since January in an escalation of a long-running conflict rooted in the spillover into Congo of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the struggle for control of Congo’s vast mineral resources.
Congo is currently considering whether to send representatives to peace talks with the M23 group that Angola plans to host next week, government sources said on Thursday.
Rwanda is accused of backing the Tutsi-led M23 rebels, a charge it denies.
The EU summoned the ambassador of Rwanda last month, calling on the country to “immediately withdraw” troops from Congolese territory and to “stop supporting the M23 and any other armed group”.
