The United States has announced sanctions against a Rwandan government minister and a senior member of an armed group over their alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The M23 militant group, which is reportedly supported by Rwanda, recently captured two major cities in eastern DRC, further worsening the humanitarian crisis and fueling concerns about a potential coup against President Felix Tshisekedi’s government in Kinshasa.
“This aggression has undermined the territorial integrity of the DRC,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, urging Rwanda to stop supporting M23 and return to negotiations led by Angola. “This violence risks escalating into a broader regional conflict,” she added.
The US Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration and a retired general, accusing him of orchestrating Rwanda’s support for M23. The group has been under US sanctions since 2013 for alleged human rights abuses, including targeting children, killing civilians, and committing sexual violence. The Treasury Department also claimed Kabarebe is responsible for managing the financial operations supporting M23, especially through the extraction and export of minerals from the DRC.
Alongside Kabarebe, sanctions were also imposed on Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, a senior member and spokesperson for M23 and the Congo River Alliance, as well as two companies he controls in the UK and France.
Rwanda has consistently denied accusations from the DRC, the UN, and Western powers of supporting M23 with weapons and troops. The Rwandan government maintains that it is simply defending itself against a Hutu militia allegedly fighting alongside the Congolese military. Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo criticized the sanctions as “unjustified” and argued they undermine efforts toward a political resolution. “If sanctions could resolve conflict in eastern DRC, we would have had peace in the region decades ago,” Makolo said in a text message to Reuters.
In contrast, the DRC government welcomed the US sanctions and called for further measures. “This marks the beginning of a long series of sanctions that we want to see more robustly enforced by the UN Security Council, the European Union, and other partners to force Rwanda to withdraw its troops and cease its criminal activities on our soil,” said DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya in a statement on social media.
