The US on Monday announced sanctions targeting Rwanda’s military and several senior officers over allegations that they have supported the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC government welcomed the move, calling it “a clear signal of support” for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The sanctions follow a US-brokered peace agreement signed in December by Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Washington. At the time, the deal was welcomed by US officials, in part because it increased US access to the region’s strategic mineral resources.
Washington said Rwanda has violated the agreement by backing M23 in the mineral-rich eastern DRC and demanded the withdrawal of Rwandan Defence Force troops, weapons and equipment. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected an immediate withdrawal. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott noted that M23, which has been under US and UN sanctions since 2013, has been tied to “horrific human rights abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians, including women and children.”
The senior military figures named in the sanctions include Vincent Nyakarundi, the RDF’s army chief of staff; Major General Ruki Karusisi; Mubarakh Muganga, listed as chief of defense staff; and Stanislas Gashugi, commander of special operations forces.
Kigali rejected the allegations, saying Rwanda has repeatedly denied accusations from the DRC, the UN and Western states of backing M23. A Rwandan spokesperson called the sanctions “unjust” and accused the DRC of breaching the deal through “indiscriminate” drone strikes and ground offensives that, Kigali says, distort the facts on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Congolese government and M23 are negotiating terms for a peace deal, with Qatar and the United States acting as mediators.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher