US targets Rwanda military with sanctions over militia support
On 2 March, the United States imposed new sanctions on Rwanda’s military and four senior officials over alleged support for the March 23 Movement (M23), reports the Associated Press.
The sanctions hit the Rwandan Defence Forces and senior commanders including army chief of staff Vincent Nyakarundi, Major General Ruki Karusisi, Chief of Defence Staff Mubarakh Muganga and Special Operations Force Commander Stanislas Gashugi.
The measures freeze any assets under US jurisdiction and prevent those sanctioned from conducting transactions with US citizens, stated the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
According to the US government, the penalties follow a US-mediated peace agreement signed in December 2025 by Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Despite that agreement, which aimed to reduce tensions and end cross-border interference, fighting has continued across eastern Congo, causing both civilian and military casualties.
Washington said M23’s recent offensive operations near the Rwanda border would not have been possible without backing from the Rwandan government. The United States and United Nations experts have accused Kigali of supplying troops, weapons and other support to M23. The Rwandan government denies these allegations.
The United States said the sanctions are intended to ensure compliance with the peace agreement and put pressure on all involved to cease support for armed groups.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that Washington “will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that the parties to the Washington Accords uphold their obligations” and called for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops, weapons and equipment from Congo.
A spokesman for the US State Department, Thomas Pigott, added that M23 “is responsible for horrific human rights abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians, including women and children.”
The Rwandan government condemned the sanctions, calling them unjust and stating that they “misrepresent” the conflict’s reality. Rwanda also accuses Congo of violating the peace agreement by conducting drone strikes and ground offensives.
The Associated Press, Maghrebi.org
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