US sanctions Rwanda's defence ministry over DR Congo war

Washington — The United States has imposed sanctions on Rwanda's defence ministry over its alleged support for the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, escalating pressure on Kigali to pull its troops out and end its backing for the rebels.

"Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. The measures freeze the ministry's assets under US jurisdiction and bar American individuals and businesses from dealing with it.

The US Treasury says the ministry directed thousands of troops to fight alongside M23, supplying weapons, equipment, logistics and training. Rwanda denies backing the group. Washington also sanctioned Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a bank serving Rwanda's security services, alleging it facilitated tens of millions of dollars in transactions for M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance, and helped move gold from rebel-held areas to Kigali.

The sanctions are meant to shore up the Washington Accords, signed by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in December under US mediation — a deal the New York Times notes came after President Trump had declared the conflict ended. Fighting has continued since early 2025, when M23 seized Goma and Bukavu. The rebels now hold mineral-rich territory including gold sites in South Kivu and Rubaya, a major coltan-producing area in North Kivu; Washington alleges minerals from rebel-held zones enter Rwanda's supply chains.

"The Washington Accords contain clear commitments regarding Rwanda's security, specifically the neutralization of the DR Congo-sponsored FDLR genocidal militia, which are wholly unmet, and with no accountability," Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told the BBC.

DR Congo's foreign ministry welcomed the move and urged Rwanda to honour the accords and withdraw its troops. President Félix Tshisekedi had called for concrete sanctions days earlier, on 24 October. The measures build on US sanctions against Rwanda's army and four senior commanders in March, and on a gold refinery and three mining companies in June.

The next test is whether Kigali alters its posture in eastern Congo — or invokes the unmet FDLR provisions as grounds to stay. Pressure is also building on Rwanda's commercial ties: two US senators wrote to NBA commissioner Adam Silver on 23 October questioning the league's partnership with Kigali, which has yet to give a substantive response.