The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and several top military officials, citing their role in ongoing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and calling for an immediate withdrawal from the mineral-rich region.
The U.S. Treasury Department said that gains made by the AFC/M23 rebel group last year “would have been impossible without Rwandan backing,” while the State Department added that Rwanda’s support has enabled “horrific human rights abuses.”
The sanctioned officials include Rwanda’s army chief of staff Vincent Nyakarundi, the chief of defense staff, the special operations force commander, and the commander of the 5th Infantry Division.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied allegations from the DRC, the United Nations, and Western powers that it supports the M23 rebels, who staged a rapid offensive last year and now control more territory in eastern Congo than ever before. In a statement to Reuters, Kigali described the sanctions as unfair and said they “misrepresent the reality and distort the facts of the conflict.” The government added that it is “fully committed to disengagement of its forces in tandem with the DRC implementing their obligations” under U.S.-led mediation efforts, while accusing the DRC of failing to end support for militias.
The sanctions come despite a peace deal signed in Washington last December as part of efforts by former U.S. President Donald Trump to stabilize the region and attract Western investment. Days after that ceremony, M23 rebels captured the eastern Congolese city of Uvira near the Burundian border, in what was the largest escalation of the conflict in months. The group later withdrew under U.S. pressure, but the Treasury Department warned that their continued presence near Burundi’s border “carries the risk of escalating the conflict into a broader regional war.”
Fighting continues on multiple fronts in eastern Congo. Over the weekend, Congolese officials accused M23 rebels of launching a drone attack on the airport in Kisangani, hundreds of kilometres from the active frontlines. M23 had previously claimed responsibility for an earlier airport attack but has not commented on the latest incident.
A spokesperson for M23/AFC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Source – Reuters
