US Treasury sanctions Rwanda Defence Force over alleged support to M23 rebels
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control [OFAC] said the RDF had been actively supporting, training and fighting alongside M23 — an armed group already sanctioned by both the United States and the United Nations for human rights abuses and fuelling mass displacement in the DRC
WASHINGTON, February 3, 2026 — The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force [RDF] and four of its senior commanders, accusing them of backing the March 23 Movement [M23] rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC].
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control [OFAC] said the RDF had been actively supporting, training and fighting alongside M23 — an armed group already sanctioned by both the United States and the United Nations for human rights abuses and fuelling mass displacement in the DRC.
According to the Treasury, RDF support enabled M23 to seize significant territory in eastern DRC, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, as well as strategic mining sites. It said the rebel group’s offensives “would not have been possible without the active support and complicity of the RDF and key senior officials”.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington expected the immediate withdrawal of RDF troops, weapons and equipment from Congolese territory.
“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,” Bessent said.
The sanctions were announced days after US President Donald J. Trump hosted DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame for the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity.
Shortly after the signing, M23 fighters captured Uvira, a strategic town near the DRC–Burundi border. The offensive reportedly resulted in civilian deaths and forced thousands to flee their homes. Although the group later withdrew from Uvira, US officials warned that its continued presence near the border — coupled with alleged RDF backing — risked escalating the conflict into a broader regional war.
In a joint statement, the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes denounced the military operations of both M23 and the RDF and called for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from eastern DRC.
Senior commanders targeted
The sanctions designate four senior RDF officials:
- Vincent Nyakarundi, the Army Chief of Staff, described by the Treasury as a senior commander of Rwanda’s land forces involved in operations supporting M23.
- Ruki Karusisi, a major general and commander of the RDF’s 5th Infantry Division, who previously led the Special Operations Force.
- Mubarakh Muganga, the Chief of Defence Staff, who before his appointment in June 2023 served as Army Chief of Staff and oversaw operations in eastern DRC.
- Stanislas Gashugi, appointed Special Operations Force Commander in March 2025.
The Treasury said the RDF had provided direct operational support to M23, including advanced military equipment such as GPS jamming systems, air defence systems and drones. Thousands of RDF troops are said to be deployed across eastern DRC, where they have engaged in combat and facilitated M23’s territorial control.
The statement further alleged that, with RDF backing, M23 has carried out extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and torture. In January 2025, RDF forces reportedly attacked Congolese armed forces, positions of the Southern African Development Community mission in the DRC, and defensive sites of the UN stabilisation mission.
Washington also claimed that Rwanda had gained access to mineral-rich areas in eastern DRC in exchange for its support to M23, helping to finance the rebellion.
Sanctions implications
Under the sanctions, all property and interests in property belonging to the designated individuals and the RDF that are within the United States or under the control of US persons are frozen and must be reported to OFAC. Entities owned 50 per cent or more by blocked persons are also subject to sanctions.
US regulations generally prohibit American individuals and businesses from conducting transactions involving designated persons unless authorised by OFAC. Violations may attract civil or criminal penalties, and non-US persons may also face penalties for facilitating breaches of US sanctions.
The Treasury said the objective of sanctions is not to punish but to bring about a change in behaviour, adding that OFAC retains the authority to remove individuals or entities from its sanctions list where consistent with the law.
Rwanda responds below:
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