The United States has announced visa restrictions targeting several senior Rwandan officials over their alleged role in fueling instability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a statement on Friday, March 6, the United States Department of State said the measures are linked to continued support for the M23 rebel group and violations of the Washington Accords aimed at restoring stability in the Great Lakes region.
"The Department of State will impose visa restrictions on several senior Rwandan officials for fueling instability in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
"By continuing to support M23 and violating the Washington Accords, these individuals are driving violence and undermining the stability of the entire Great Lakes Region," the statement read.
The US also urged all parties involved in the Washington Accords to honour their commitments in order to restore peace in the region.
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"The United States expects all parties to the Washington Accords to fully implement their commitments, including by the DRC immediately neutralizing the FDLR armed group and its associated groups and Rwanda withdrawing its troops and military equipment from the DRC," the statement added.
The Department further warned that individuals found responsible for undermining peace efforts could face further consequences.
"Only then will the immense economic potential of the Great Lakes region be realized. Individuals believed to be responsible for, complicit in, or directly or indirectly engaged in undermining or impeding a sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region will face consequences," the statement concluded.
This comes days after the US imposed sanctions on the Rwandan Defence Forces and four of its top officials over supporting the M23 movement in eastern DRC.
In a statement on Monday, March 2, the US Department of the Treasury said the Rwandan military and the four officials violated the peace accord.
"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), the military of Rwanda, and four of its senior officials," read the statement in part.
According to the US government, RDF has been actively supporting, training, and fighting alongside the M23 rebel movement, which is sanctioned by the United Nations as an armed group responsible for human rights abuses and a mass displacement crisis in DRC.
RDF is also accused of introducing advanced military equipment in eastern DRC, including GPS jamming systems, air defense equipment, drones, and additional material.
The US Department of Treasury also mentioned that thousands of RDF troops have been deployed across eastern DRC, where they actively engage in combat operations and facilitate M23’s control of territory.
"With support from the RDF, M23 has engaged in extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture. In January 2025, the RDF carried out attacks against Congolese armed forces, the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC, and defensive positions of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC," the US Department of Treasury said.
The sanctioned RDF officials include the Army Chief of Staff Vincent Nyakarundi, Commander of the RDF’s 5th Infantry Division Ruki Karusisi, Chief of Defence Staff Mubarakh Muganga, and RDF’s Special Operations Force Commander Stanislas Gashugi.
Further, the US Department of Treasury said all property and interests in property of the four RDF officials that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons have been blocked and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
"In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked," the department added.
