US sanctions Rwanda Defence Ministry over alleged support for DRC rebels

What the report says

The United States has imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence and Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a financial institution linked to Rwanda’s security forces, over alleged support for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, the group previously known as M23/AFC. The Independent Uganda, citing a United Nations Radio source in Kigali, reported that the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the measures on Wednesday evening.

According to the report, Washington accuses Rwanda of providing military, logistical and financial backing to FRN/M23 despite commitments made in a peace agreement signed last year. The allegations include deployment of Rwanda Defence Force soldiers alongside rebel fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the transfer of weapons, training, surface-to-air missiles and electronic jamming equipment. The US says those activities threaten civilian aviation and undermine efforts to stabilize North Kivu and South Kivu.

The sanctions freeze property and interests in property belonging to the designated entities that are under US jurisdiction and restrict transactions involving them. The Treasury also called on Rwanda to stop supporting the rebel movement and withdraw its forces from eastern DRC. At the time of publication, Rwanda, FRN/M23 and the Congolese government had not responded publicly.

The action follows earlier US sanctions tied to the same conflict, including measures against Rwandan officials and companies accused of aiding rebel activity or illicit mineral trafficking. More broadly, the dispute matters because the fighting has displaced civilians and complicated regional peace efforts in the eastern DRC.