The United States on Monday announced sanctions targeting Rwanda’s military and several senior officers, accusing them of supporting the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Congolese government welcomed the move as “a clear signal of support” for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The measures follow a US-brokered peace agreement signed in Washington in December by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. That deal had been welcomed by US officials in part because it expanded American access to the region’s strategic mineral resources. Washington says Rwanda has since violated the agreement by backing M23 in the mineral-rich eastern DRC and has called for the withdrawal of Rwandan Defence Force troops, weapons and equipment.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected an immediate withdrawal, while State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott pointed out that M23 has been under US and UN sanctions since 2013 and has been linked 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 Rwandan Defence Force’s 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, calling the sanctions “unjust” and reiterating its long-standing denial of accusations by the DRC, the UN and Western states that it backs M23. A Rwandan spokesperson accused the DRC of breaching the Washington agreement through what it described as “indiscriminate” drone strikes and ground offensives, saying those actions distort the situation on the ground.
Separately, the Congolese government and M23 continue negotiating terms for a peace deal, with Qatar and the United States serving as mediators.