Kinshasa, April 19th, 2025 (CPA) – The National Committee for the Implementation of Targeted Financial Sanctions (CONASAFIC) was installed on Thursday in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, by the Minister in charge of Finance, according to a communiqué from the ministry consulted by the CPA on Friday. ‘The Minister in charge of Finance, Doudou Fwamba Likunde Li-Botayi, officially set up the National Committee for the Implementation of Targeted Financial Sanctions (CONASAFIC) at the Kinshasa Financial Centre on Thursday’, it read. According to the source, this structure, placed under the direct authority of the Minister in charge of Finance, is responsible for coordinating the implementation of targeted financial sanctions, in particular those relating to the fight against the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These measures, said the source, include freezing the assets of designated natural or legal persons, as well as issuing opinions on requests for unfreezing and associated restrictive measures.
Doudou Fwamba stressed that the creation of CONASAFIC reflects the firm commitment of the government of the Republic, in line with the vision of the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo, to strengthen the fight against terrorism and its financing mechanisms. The committee is being set up in a national security context marked by an upsurge in the activities of armed groups, fuelled in particular by the proven aggression of the Republic of Rwanda. CONASAFIC’s strategic objective is therefore to deprive these groups of any source of funding, be it financial, material or logistical. The minister also called for the active involvement of all state institutions in supporting the committee, praising the support of Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, whose authorization made it possible to set up this strategic structure. The Executive Secretary of the National Financial Intelligence Unit (CENAREF), acting in his capacity as Permanent Secretary of CONASAFIC, presented the current challenges facing the committee, notably the still partial appropriation of the sanctions mechanisms by certain administrations; the need to raise awareness in the private sector, particularly among financial institutions; the committee’s lack of visibility; the limitations in terms of detecting targeted individuals and entities; and the need to strengthen institutional capacities through ongoing training and appropriate assessment tools. ACP/