Congo Brazzaville

A contingent of Pakistani peacekeepers was accused of selling gold and guns between 2005 and 2006 to Congolese militia groups they were meant to disarm.

The investigation, which began in early 2006, found no evidence of gun-running.

Pakistani officials have previously denied all the accusations, describing the allegations as "baseless".

In May the UN said it would seek to discipline anyone who had compromised peacekeeping in DR Congo by trafficking in gold or guns.

20/07/1998

Following the first presidential elections in 1992, in which Lissouba defeated former president general Sassou, all political parties have built up private militia in their struggle for power. Since 1993 they control various parts of the country. The Cobras, former president Sassou's militia, control the north, the Ninjas are active along the river Congo and in Brazzaville's southern suburbs, and the Aubevillois control the areas of the tribe to which the chosen president Lissouba belongs.