Rwanda hits back at US sanctions over M23 support in DR Congo

Rwanda President Paul Kagame. [File, Standard]

Rwanda has rejected US sanctions targeting its military as "unjust" and one-sided, accusing Washington of distorting the reality of the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

The US government yesterday sanctioned the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior officers for their direct operational support to the March 23 Movement (M23) and its affiliates in eastern DR Congo, just days after President Donald Trump presided over the December 2025 signing of the Washington Accords peace deal, when Rwanda-backed M23 fighters captured the Congolese city of Uvira in clear violation of the agreement.

Kigali accused Washington of targeting only one party to the conflict.

"The sanctions issued today by the United States, unjustly targeting only one party to the peace process, misrepresent the reality and distort the facts of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo," it noted.

Kigali also accused Kinshasa of breaking the ceasefire first, pointing to "consistent and indiscriminate drone attacks and ground offensives" by Congolese forces, and the continued presence of the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), a genocidal militia, fighting alongside the Congolese army, the Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC).

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demanded the immediate withdrawal of RDF troops, weapons and equipment from eastern DR Congo.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said that the continued backing from the RDF and its senior leadership had enabled M23 to capture Congolese sovereign territory and carry out grave abuses.

Rwanda countered that Kinshasa had committed under the Washington Accords to an "irreversible and verifiable" end to state support for the FDLR but had taken no steps to honour that pledge.

"Rwanda is fully committed to the disengagement of its forces in tandem with the DRC implementing their obligations,” the government said.

Among those sanctioned are Rwanda's army chief of staff, the Chief of Defence staff and two other senior generals.

The sanctions represent a direct challenge to Kigali over its long-denied military support for M23, which has seized major cities including Goma and Bukavu in eastern DR Congo.

Rwanda welcomed the resumption of the Joint Oversight Committee implementation process but insisted it required an even-handed approach from all partners.