US sanctions Rwanda’s defense force over support for M23 rebels in Congo

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The United States ‌on Monday imposed sanctions against Rwanda’s defense force and top military officials, the U.S. Treasury ​Department said, accusing Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo, as fighting in the region continues.

“The Rwandan Defense Force is actively supporting, training, and fighting alongside the March 23 Movement (M23), a U.S.- and United Nations-sanctioned armed group responsible for human rights abuses and a mass displacement crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” a statement by the U.S. Treasury ​Department read.

Four individuals have been sanctioned, including Rwandan army chief of staff Vincent Nyakarundi and the chief of the defense staff.

Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters, according to the U.N.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the U.N. agency for refugees.

Despite the signing of a deal between the Congolese and Rwandan governments brokered by the U.S. and ongoing negotiations between rebels and Congo, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, claiming numerous civilian and military casualties.

“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,” Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a statement Monday.

She accused Congo of violating the peace agreement by allegedly conducting “indiscriminate” drone attacks and ground offensives.

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Associated Press reporter Khaled Kazziha in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this report.