• U.S. sanctions Rwanda Defence Force, four senior officials
• Washington accuses RDF of backing M23 in eastern DRC
• Rwanda rejects sanctions, says measures misrepresent conflict

The United States Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on Monday, March 2, 2026, against the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior Rwandan military officials.

Washington accuses them of supporting the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group in the ongoing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Those targeted include Vincent Nyakarundi, the RDF chief of staff, and Major General Ruki Karusisi, commander of the RDF’s 5th Infantry Division.

The Treasury Department said all property and interests in property of the designated individuals that are in the United States or under the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). It added that any entity owned, directly or indirectly, 50% or more by one or more designated persons is also subject to sanctions.

The sanctions come after a joint declaration under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity was signed in Washington in December 2025 by U.S. President Donald Trump, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. However, M23 later seized Uvira, a city on the border between the DRC and Burundi, in what U.S. authorities described as a direct violation of the accords.

The department said M23 is an armed group sanctioned by both the United States and the United Nations and is responsible for human rights violations and a large-scale displacement crisis in the DRC. It added that the group’s offensives would not have been possible without the active support of the RDF and its senior leadership.

In response, the Rwandan government said the sanctions unfairly target one party to the peace process and misrepresent the facts of the conflict in eastern DRC.

Lydie Mobio