For years, Rwanda has denied accusations from Congo, the United Nations, and Western governments that it supports the M23 rebellion.
The group, known formally as the March 23 Movement, launched rapid offensives last year and now controls more territory in eastern Congo than at any point in its history.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said the rebels’ expansion would not have been possible without Rwandan military assistance. The U.S. Department of State added that this backing has allowed widespread human-rights violations to continue in communities caught in the conflict.
Congo’s government welcomed the sanctions, saying they reinforced international support for its territorial sovereignty. M23 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. measures target four senior Rwandan commanders, including Vincent Nyakarundi, the chief of defence staff, the head of special operations, and the commander of the 5th Infantry Division.
The sanctions come just months after Donald Trump hosted the signing of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity in Washington. Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame agreed to reduce tensions and open the region’s vast mineral reserves, including cobalt and copper to greater U.S. investment.
But days after the ceremony, M23 fighters advanced into the strategic city of Uvira, near the Burundi border, in the largest escalation in months.
The group later withdrew under U.S. pressure. Still, U.S. officials warned that the rebels’ presence near Burundi risks spreading the conflict into a wider regional confrontation. Clashes continue across multiple front lines in eastern Congo, an area long fragmented by more than 100 armed groups.
The conflict has driven one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with more than seven million people displaced, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
Rwanda rejects the accusations
The Government of Rwanda dismissed the U.S. sanctions, arguing they unfairly single out Kigali and misrepresent the dynamics of the conflict.
Rwanda said the Congolese military has violated ceasefire arrangements through drone strikes and ground assaults that have caused civilian deaths.
Kigali maintains that its security concerns stem from the continued presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a militia with roots in the 1994 genocide, which operates alongside elements of Congo’s armed forces and local self-defence groups known as Wazalendo. Rwanda insists that under the Washington Accords, Congo committed to ending support for the FDLR, but has not done so.
Rwanda said it remains willing to scale back its forces if Congo meets its obligations, calling on international partners to apply pressure evenly on both sides.
Meanwhile, M23 has accused Congo’s military coalition of carrying out new drone strikes on populated areas in South Kivu, allegations Kinshasa has not addressed publicly.
The rebel group says it intends to hold its positions and continue claiming to protect civilians in its areas of control.
