United Nations, Jul 1 (IANS): The UN Security Council has renewed the sanctions imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Adopting resolution 2641 by a vote of 10 in favour to none against with five abstentions, the Council on Thursday night renewed its arms embargo measures, travel ban and asset freezes until July 1, 2023, reports Xinhua news agency.

China, Russian, Ghana, Gabon and Kenya voted in abstention.

In an explanation of the vote, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, pointed out that the Security Council's sanctions on the DRC are designed to curb the violent activities of armed groups.

"Regretfully, 18 years after its initial implementation, armed groups in the eastern DRC remain rampant, while the DRC government's security capacity has been constrained. The DRC government has repeatedly requested the council to lift the arms embargo on the country," he noted.

Recently, the security situation in the eastern DRC has deteriorated, with many civilian casualties and displacements caused by the resurgence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.