The United States has sanctioned the Rwandan army and four of its senior army officers for supporting M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Department of the Treasury announced.
In a press release published on its website on March 2, the department said the army’s support to the rebels involved training.
“The RDF [Rwandan Defence Force] is actively supporting, training, and fighting alongside the March 23 Movement (M23),” the department said, adding that the rebels are already under US and UN sanctions for human rights abuses and a mass displacement crisis in the DRC.
The department administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions under the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
It said that Rwandan support to the rebels had enabled them to seize territory, including provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu, along with strategic mining sites in eastern DRC.
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“M23’s offensives would not have been possible without the active support and complicity of the RDF and key senior officials,” it said.
Rwanda denies supporting M23 rebels, who derive their name from the March 23, 2009 peace agreement, although several UN reports have consistently provided irrefutable evidence of its involvement in the conflict.
“The sanctions issued today by the United States unjustly targeting only one party to the peace process misrepresent the reality and distort the facts of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” it said, referring to the Washington Accords.
The DRC government said it welcomed the sanctions, saying the measures seek to protect the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Bureau of African Affairs at the State Department said the Rwandan army’s support to the rebels was violating the Washington Accords.
“The United States is resolved to uphold the Washington Accords and ensure all parties deliver on the promises of this historic agreement,” it said in a social media post.
Last December, Rwanda and the DRC signed a peace deal in Washington brokered by US President Donald Trump. Uganda and Qatar were also involved in the deal, but fighting has continued, frustrating efforts to restore peace in the region and attract billions of dollars in Western investment.
“President Trump is the Peace President, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that the parties to the Washington Accords uphold their obligations,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
“We expect the immediate withdrawal of Rwanda Defence Force troops, weapons and equipment.”
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS OUR READERS OFTEN ASK
The press release said the army provided direct operational support to M23 and its affiliates.
“The RDF has introduced advanced military equipment to the battlefield in eastern DRC, including GPS jamming systems, air defence equipment, drones and additional materiel,” it said.
“Thousands of RDF troops are deployed across eastern DRC, where they actively engage in combat operations and facilitate M23’s control of territory.”
Sanctioned officers
- Vincent Nyakarundi (Nyakarundi) is the Army Chief of Staff of the RDF. Nyakarundi is a senior commander of the Rwandan Army’s land forces, which have conducted military operations in support of M23, the department said.
- Ruki Karusisi (Karusisi) is a major general and commander of the RDF’s 5th Infantry Division. He was previously a Special Operations Force Commander and oversaw military operations in support of M23.
- Mubarakh Muganga (Muganga) is the RDF’s Chief of Defence Staff. Before being appointed to this role in June 2023, Muganga served as the RDF’s Army Chief of Staff, during which time he played a key role in planning operations and commanding RDF forces in eastern DRC, according to the department.
- Stanislas Gashugi (Gashugi) was appointed as the RDF’s Special Operations Force Commander on March 15, 2025, replacing Karusisi.
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