General Muhindo Akili Mundos, an ally of President Joseph Kabila, is one of four names to be added on to the UN sanctions committee list, said MONUSCO, the organisation's peacekeeping mission in the country.

General Mundos was officially commander of the Congolese army's military operations against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist group, in the country's Beni region from August 2014 to June 2015.

At least 400 civilians were massacred in attacks attributed to the ADF in that period, and the UN says Mundos was involved.

"Under the command of Mundos, the FARDC (Congolese army) did not intervene to prevent" the ADF from targeting civilians, said a copy of UN documents seen by AFP.

"Mundos recruited and equipped ex-combatants from local armed groups to participate in extrajudicial executions and massacres by the Allied Democratic Forces," the UN said.

Three militia leaders are also on the UN sanctions committee list, including Guidon Shimiray Mwissa, from the NDC-R militia, who is accused of recruiting "child soldiers".

Lucien Nzambamwita (also known as Andre Kalume), a military leader from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and Gedeon Kyungu, who is "implicated in serious human rights abuses", are also on the list.

The UN document says the four men "pose a threat to the peace, stability, and security of the DRC".

"These sanctions cover a very wide range of targeted measures such as arms embargos, travel bans and even financial or diplomatic measures," the UN said on its website.