The United Nations would increase pressure on illegal armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a UN high official said here during his tour in Africa's Great Lakes region.

"Sanctions will be imposed against armed groups that refuse to disarm," said the head of the UN Security Council mission, Jean- Marc de la Sabliere, who is also the French ambassador to the UN.

Peacekeepers from UN force in DRC and the Congolese army would take robust action against militias who refused to go back home by September 30 under a deal between DRC, Uganda and Rwanda.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Entebbe on Wednesday, de La Sabliere said it was important that the Congolese army now "engage in more robust action with the support of MONUC (the UN Mission in the DRC) to deal with the situation in eastern DRC."

According to UN estimates, thousands of rebels from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda operate from eastern DRC, and among them are 2, 000 armed Ugandans from various groups.

Museveni told the UN delegation that the Uganda's LRA rebels had been weakened militarily, but elements of the group continued to cause problems.

The mission began a 10-day tour of the Great Lakes region on Saturday with stops in the DRC, Burundi, before Uganda and Rwanda, and finally Tanzania.

In Burundi on Tuesday, de La Sabliere said that the Security Council might also take punitive action against the Burundian Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) rebels, Burundi's last group of rebels, in eastern DRC.

"Burundians are right to worry that the FNL issue is lasting too long," he said, adding that "the (FNL) had better negotiate with the government or else sanctions can be imposed."

Source: Xinhua