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The United States Thursday, February 20, imposed financial sanctions on a top Rwandan government official, accusing him of playing a central role in his country’s alleged support for the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The decision has sparked sharp criticism from Kigali, which dismissed the move as baseless and ineffective in addressing the region’s security crisis.
The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday, targeted James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration and former army chief, whom Washington accuses of being a key figure in Rwanda’s alleged backing of M23. Also sanctioned was Lawrence Kanyuka, the M23’s spokesperson, along with two companies he controls in Britain and France. The U.S. claims the individuals and entities are linked to violence and human rights abuses in the mineral-rich eastern DRC.
In a statement, Bradley Smith, the acting U.S. Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said the sanctions were part of broader efforts to hold accountable individuals who enable “the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and M23’s destabilizing activities in the eastern DRC.” The U.S. government stressed its commitment to a peaceful resolution of the crisis but warned that it would not tolerate actors fueling conflict in the region.
Rwanda, however, swiftly rejected the accusations and condemned the sanctions as unjustified. In a strongly worded statement, Kigali’s foreign ministry said the move would do little to resolve the ongoing instability in eastern DRC, where M23 rebels have recently seized major cities, displacing thousands. “Punitive measures, including sanctions, make no contribution toward long-term security, peace, and stability for all the countries of the Great Lakes region,” the ministry stated. It defended Rwanda’s actions, insisting that its focus was on securing its borders and preventing ethnic violence from spilling over from the DRC.
The U.S. sanctions come at a time when tensions between Rwanda and the DRC have escalated, with Congolese authorities accusing Kigali of directly arming and supporting M23 rebels, a claim Rwanda has consistently denied. Western powers, including the United Nations and the European Union, have also pointed fingers at Rwanda for allegedly fueling the conflict, citing reports that RDF forces have been involved in the fighting. Kigali, on the other hand, argues that the real threat to regional stability comes from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group operating in the DRC that has links to the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Congolese government welcomed the U.S. sanctions and called for further international action. Patrick Muyaya, DRC’s government spokesperson, said the move was a step in the right direction but urged the United Nations, the European Union, and other allies to impose even tougher measures against Rwanda. “This marks the beginning of a long series of sanctions that we want to be more robust in order to force Rwanda to withdraw its troops and cease its criminal activities on our soil,” he said.
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