Rwanda has rejected recent U.S. sanctions targeting its Defence Force and senior military officials, describing the move as biased and an inaccurate portrayal of the conflict unfolding in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
On Monday, March 2, the U.S. Treasury announced the RDF as an institution, along with Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Mubarakh Muganga, Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Vincent Nyakarundi, Maj. Gen. Ruki Karusisi and Special Operations Force Commander Stanislas Gashugi would face sanctions.
Washington claimed that Rwanda had provided operational support to the armed group AFC/M23, in violation of commitments under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed with the DRC on December 4, 2025.
In response, the country rejected the allegations, saying: “The sanctions issued today by the United States unjustly target only one party to the peace process, misrepresenting the reality and distorting the facts of the conflict in eastern DRC.”
Rwanda has long expressed security concerns over the presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a genocidal militia formed by remnants of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi perpetrators, and other allied militias within eastern DRC.
Kigali has repeatedly stated that these groups pose a direct threat to its national security.
The Washington Accords, signed in 2025, committed both Rwanda and DRC to ceasefire arrangements and to an “irreversible and verifiable end to state support for the FDLR and associated militias.”
Rwanda argues that DRC has failed to meet these obligations, and recent drone and artillery strikes on Banyamulenge communities in Minembwe underscore ongoing violations.
“The Congolese coalition’s attacks, often using drones and ground offensives, continue to cost many lives. Protecting our country is a badge of honour which the Rwanda Defence Force carries very proudly,” Rwanda said in a statement.
Kigali also highlighted that the Congolese coalition includes foreign mercenaries, local militias known as Wazalendo, and the FDLR, operating alongside DRC forces. Rwanda insists it remains committed to withdrawing its troops only as DRC fully implements its responsibilities under the accords.
Analysts say the sanctions come at a sensitive time, as renewed violence in eastern DRC has worsened humanitarian conditions, leaving local communities caught between armed groups and state forces.
