The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on the Rwandan Defence Forces and four of its senior commanders, accusing them of backing the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed group blamed for widespread human rights abuses in eastern Congo.
The move follows a U.S.-brokered peace agreement signed in December in Washington by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, alongside U.S. President Donald Trump. At the time, Mr Trump hailed the accord — which also granted the U.S. and its companies access to the region’s critical mineral reserves — as a breakthrough in stabilising the conflict.
Despite the December deal, clashes have persisted across eastern Congo, resulting in civilian and military casualties. M23 remains the most prominent of roughly 100 armed groups operating near Congo’s border with Rwanda. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the conflict has displaced more than seven million people, creating one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises. U.N. experts say the group has expanded from a few hundred fighters in 2021 to about 6,500.
Congo, the U.S., and U.N. investigators have repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23 — allegations Kigali denies. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said M23’s military advances would not have been possible without active backing from Rwanda and senior officials. Those sanctioned include army chief of staff Vincent Nyakarundi, Major General Ruki Karusisi, Chief of Defence Staff Mubarakh Muganga, and Special Operations commander Stanislas Gashugi.
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo rejected the measures, describing them as unjust and accusing Congo of breaching the peace accord through alleged indiscriminate drone strikes and ground operations.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would use all available tools to ensure compliance with the Washington Accords and called for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops, weapons and equipment from Congolese territory.
A State Department spokesman, Thomas Pigott, said M23 is responsible for serious abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians, women and children. The group has been under U.S. sanctions since 2013. Meanwhile, negotiations between the Congolese government and M23 — mediated by Qatar and the United States — remain ongoing as diplomatic efforts continue to seek a durable settlement.