The United States has announced sanctions against the Rwanda Defence Force and four of its senior commanders, accusing the force of directly supporting the rebel group March 23 Movement in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo due to serious breach of ongoing peace efforts.
In a detailed statement issued on March 2, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said its Office of Foreign Assets Control had designated the RDF and its top officials for backing M23 operations that have led to territorial seizures, civilian displacement and widespread instability in eastern Congo.
“M23’s offensives would not have been possible without the active support and complicity of the Rwanda Defence Force and key senior officials,” the Treasury said.
The Treasury accused the Rwandan military of providing operational assistance, advanced equipment and direct combat support to the rebel movement.
The sanctions follow a high-level diplomatic meeting in Washington where US President Donald J. Trump hosted Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame for the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, an agreement intended to calm tensions and restore stability in the Great Lakes region.
Just days after the signing, however, M23 fighters captured the strategic border town of Uvira along the DRC Burundi frontier, forcing thousands of civilians to flee and heightening fears of a broader regional confrontation.
“President Trump is the Peace President, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that the parties to the Washington Accords uphold their obligations. We expect the immediate withdrawal of Rwanda Defence Force troops, weapons and equipment,”Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
According to Washington, thousands of RDF troops are currently deployed across eastern Congo where they are said to be actively engaging in combat and facilitating M23’s control of territory, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu and several strategic mining sites.
“The Rwanda Defence Force has provided direct operational support to M23 and its affiliates. The RDF has introduced advanced military equipment to the battlefield in eastern DRC, including GPS jamming systems, air defence equipment, drones and additional materiel,”the statement reads.
The Treasury further alleges that RDF personnel have trained M23 fighters at Rwandan military facilities and supported recruitment efforts, including among refugee populations.
“With support from the RDF, M23 has engaged in extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and torture,” the statement adds, pointing to escalating humanitarian concerns in eastern Congo.
The sanctions also target senior commanders Vincent Nyakarundi, Ruki Karusisi, Mubarakh Muganga and Stanislas Gashugi, who US authorities describe as key figures in planning and overseeing RDF operations linked to M23 activities.
Under the sanctions regime, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities within the United States or under the control of US persons are blocked. American citizens and institutions are generally prohibited from conducting transactions involving the sanctioned parties.
“Violations of US sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on US and foreign persons,” the Treasury warned.
The Treasury added that non US persons could also face consequences for facilitating prohibited transactions.
US officials stressed that the objective of the sanctions is not punitive but corrective.
“The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive behavior change,” the statement said, noting that designated individuals may seek removal from the sanctions list if they demonstrate compliance and a commitment to peace.
For Uganda and the wider Great Lakes region, the renewed tensions carry significant implications. Kampala shares deep security and economic interests with eastern Congo and has previously deployed troops in parts of the region under bilateral arrangements with Kinshasa to combat armed groups.
Sanctioned army officers
Vincent Nyakarundi (Nyakarundi), a Rwandan national, is the Army Chief of Staff of the RDF. Nyakarundi is a senior commander of the Rwandan Army’s land forces, which have conducted military operations in support of M23.
Ruki Karusisi (Karusisi), a Rwandan national, is a major general and commander of the RDF’s 5th Infantry Division. He was previously a Special Operations Force Commander and oversaw military operations in support of M23.
Mubarakh Muganga (Muganga), a Rwandan national, is the RDF’s Chief of Defence Staff. Before being appointed to this role in June 2023, Muganga served as the RDF’s Army Chief of Staff, during which time he played a key role in planning operations and commanding RDF forces in eastern DRC.
Stanislas Gashugi (Gashugi), a Rwandan national, was appointed as the RDF’s Special Operations Force Commander on March 15, 2025, replacing Karusisi.
The RDF is being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13413, as amended by E.O. 13671, for being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the DRC; and for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of M23. Nyakarundi, Karusisi, Muganga, and Gashugi are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13413, as amended, for being leaders of the RDF, an entity that has, or whose members have, been responsible for or complicit in, or have engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the DRC.
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