US SANCTIONS RWANDAN DEFENCE MINISTRY, MILITARY BANK OVER M23 REBEL SUPPORT IN DRC

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The United States government has imposed sweeping financial sanctions on Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence and Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a major financial institution serving the country’s security forces, over Kigali’s continued military and logistical backing of M23 rebels operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The punitive measures, announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of State, mark a significant escalation in international pressure on Rwanda. Washington directly accused the Rwandan military of deploying thousands of troops alongside M23 insurgents, smuggling illicit conflict minerals, and jeopardizing regional security.

According to American officials, the action comes after Kigali breached commitments made under the U.S.-brokered Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed on December 4, 2025, by the heads of state of both the DRC and Rwanda.

“Today, the United States makes good on President Trump’s promise to hold Rwanda accountable for its commitments under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity,” said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC.”

The Treasury Department stated that the Rwandan Ministry of Defence—which oversees the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), sanctioned separately by the U.S. in March 2026—has actively enabled rebellion in the North and South Kivu provinces. U.S. officials reported that Rwandan troops have not only fought alongside M23 but have also introduced sophisticated weaponry into eastern Congo, including surface-to-air missile systems and electronic jamming equipment that directly pose risks to civilian aviation.

The economic penalties also target Zigama Credit and Savings Society (Zigama), a military-focused cooperative bank. U.S. authorities alleged that Zigama facilitated tens of millions of dollars in financial transactions for M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance. The bank was further accused of processing payments to foreign suppliers in China and other nations for arms and ammunition, while actively aiding the illicit transport of gold and coltan from rebel-controlled Congolese mines into Kigali.

The conflict in eastern Congo has escalated significantly over the past year, with M23 capturing key strategic territory, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu in early 2025. The destabilization has generated a severe humanitarian catastrophe, marked by widespread displacement, extrajudicial killings, and forced labor in rich mining areas such as Rubaya.
In a press statement accompanying the decision, the U.S. Department of State emphasized that state sponsors and armed factions must be prevented from profiting off Congo’s mineral wealth, urging global private sector firms to scrutinize their supply chains for tainted conflict minerals.

“Rwanda’s Ministry of Defense’s support for M23 violates its obligations and undermines the Washington Accords’ goals of peace and prosperity. Rwanda must stop supporting M23 and any successor armed groups and withdraw its forces from eastern DRC,” the State Department declared. “The United States calls on all actors to respect the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will use every available tool to hold accountable those who prolong this conflict.”

Under the sanctions, all property and financial interests belonging to the designated entities within the United States or under the control of U.S. persons are frozen and must be reported to OFAC. Foreign financial institutions engaging in transactions with the targeted Rwandan entities also risk secondary sanctions and penalties under American legal frameworks.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis