United Nations Security Council resolution 1533, adopted unanimously on 12 March 2004, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, the council established a committee to monitor an

arms embargo An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes: * to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor * to maintain ...

imposed on all foreign and Congolese forces in the east of the country.

Resolution

Observations

In the preamble of the resolution, the council expressed concern at the presence of armed groups and

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Kivu South Kivu (; ) is one of Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital city, capital is Bukavu. Located within the East African Rift's western branch Albertine Rift, it is ...

and

Ituri Ituri Province ( in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the Subdivisions of the DR Congo#New provinces, 2015 repartitioning. Ituri, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces ...

in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It subsequently condemned the illegal flow of

weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

s into the country and was determined to monitor the arms embargo imposed under Resolution 1493 (2003). Furthermore, the right of the Congolese people to control their

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

s and the links between the exploitation of the natural resources and

arms trafficking Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms, explosives, and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal tra ...

Acts

Acting under

Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military a ...

, the council demanded that all states refrain from providing weapons and

materiel Materiel or matériel (; ) is supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commerce, commercial supply chain management, supply chain context. Military In a military context, ...

to armed groups operating in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The

United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO (an acronym based on its French name ), is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A planned withdraw ...

(MONUC) was requested to continue inspecting cargo and to seize any items in violation of the arms embargo. It further demanded that all parties allow unimpeded access to MONUC personnel and condemned the continuing

exploitation of natural resources The exploitation of natural resources describes using natural resources, often non-renewable or limited, for economic growth or development. Environmental degradation, human insecurity, and social conflict frequently accompany natural resource ex ...

that was fuelling the conflict in the region. Nearby states were urged to ensure that no direct military or financial assistance was given to the movements and armed groups in the country. The resolution established a committee to report its observations and recommendations concerning the arms embargo and ways to improve its effectiveness. All countries were to report within 60 days on action they had taken to implement the embargo from Resolution 1493. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...

was asked to appoint a group of up to four experts, one of whom was noted trafficking expert Kathi Lynn Austin, to gather and analyse information and suggest ways for states to improve their capabilities to implement the arms embargo, for a period until 28 July 2004, maintaining close co-operation with the committee. The

Special Representative of the Secretary-General A special representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General, Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent them in meetings with heads of state on critical huma ...

was asked to inform of any instances of weapons being supplied to the armed groups and presence of foreign forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Finally, the

international community The international community is a term used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world. Usage Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is typically used to imply the ...

was called upon to co-operate with the committee, group of experts and MONUC, and to provide the Congolese government with assistance in order for it to control its borders and

airspace Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as outer space which is t ...

References

External links

*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
* {{UNSCR 2004 1533 2004 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1533 March 2004

Resolution

Observations

Acts

See also

References

External links