The United States has announced sanctions against a Rwandan government minister and a senior member of an armed group for their alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have intensified their offensive, recently overrunning two major cities in eastern DRC, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis and fueling speculation about a potential coup against President Félix Tshisekedi’s government in Kinshasa.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce condemned the situation, stating that “this aggression has undermined the territorial integrity of the DRC.” She urged Rwanda to withdraw its support for M23 and re-engage in Angola-led peace negotiations, warning that “this violence risks escalating into a broader regional conflict.”
Key targets of the U.S. sanctions
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration, James Kabarebe, a retired general, for allegedly orchestrating Rwandan support for M23. Kabarebe is also accused of facilitating the extraction and export of DRC’s mineral resources through M23-controlled mining sites.
Also sanctioned was Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, a senior M23 and Congo River Alliance member, along with two companies under his control in Britain and France.
M23 has been under U.S. sanctions since 2013 for human rights violations, including targeting children, killing civilians, and committing acts of sexual violence.
Rwanda and DRC react
Rwanda has dismissed the allegations and criticized the sanctions. Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo called them “unjustified,” arguing that the international community should “support, not undermine, ongoing regional efforts towards a political solution.”
On the other hand, the Congolese government welcomed the sanctions, with spokesperson Patrick Muyaya calling for more robust international measures.
“This marks the beginning of a long series of sanctions that we want to be more robust from the U.N. Security Council, the European Union, and other partners in order to force Rwanda to withdraw its troops and cease its criminal activities on our soil,” Muyaya stated.
