Kinshasa welcomed the sanctions, while Kigali said the US move “unfairly” targets Rwanda.
Published March 3, 2026
The United States has imposed sanctions on the Rwandan military and four of its senior officials for “direct operational support” to the M23 rebel group that has seized large swaths of territory in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Rwanda has long rejected accusations from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations and Western powers that it backs the M23 and its affiliate Congo River Alliance (AFC), which captured key cities in the mineral-rich east, including the capitals of North and South Kivu provinces last year.
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The U.S. Treasury Department said Monday that the rebel advances would not have been possible without support from Rwanda.
The US State Department separately added that the M23 continued to capture territory even late last year “in clear violation” of a US-brokered agreement.
US President Donald Trump brought together the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in December to sign a peace deal, predicting a “great miracle.”
But a few days later, the State Department said, the M23 captured the important Congolese city of Uvira.
The Treasury Department said those included in Monday’s sanctions are Vincent Nyakarundi, chief of staff of the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) army; Ruki Karusisi, major general; Mubarakh Muganga, chief of the Defense Staff; and Stanislas Gashugi, commander of the special operations force.
The United States said they were critical to the M23’s achievements.
“M23, a US- and UN-sanctioned entity, is responsible for horrific human rights abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians, including women and children,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
“The continued support of the RDF and its senior leaders has allowed the M23 to capture sovereign territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and continue these serious abuses,” he added.
‘A strong signal’
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a statement that the sanctions “unfairly” target Rwanda and “misrepresent the reality and distort the facts of the conflict” in eastern DRC.
He accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of violating the peace agreement by allegedly carrying out “indiscriminate” drone attacks and ground offensives.
Rwanda’s government also told Reuters news agency that Kigali was “fully committed to the withdrawal of its forces along with the implementation of its obligations by the Democratic Republic of Congo” under US-led mediation, but accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of failing to fulfill promises such as ending support for militias.
The Congolese government, however, said it welcomed the sanctions, describing them as “a strong signal of support for respect” for its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that the department “will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that parties to the Washington Accords meet their obligations.”
“We expect the immediate withdrawal of troops, weapons and equipment of the Rwanda Defense Forces,” Bessent said.
Fighting continues in eastern DRC on several fronts, despite an agreement signed between Kigali and Kinshasa in Washington and a separate peace agreement signed between the M23 and the Congolese government in Qatar last year.
Although the M23 subsequently withdrew from Uvira under pressure from the United States, the rebels still control other key Congolese cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The US Treasury Department said Monday that the M23’s continued presence near Burundi’s border “carries the risk of escalating the conflict into a broader regional war.”
The M23 is the most prominent of about 100 armed factions vying for control in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with more than seven million people displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.
The M23 has already been under US sanctions since 2013.
