US sanctions Rwandan Defense Ministry and financial institution supporting M23 rebel group

The United States announced yesterday the imposition of sanctions on Rwanda’s Ministry of Defense and a financial institution to support the armed rebel group “March 23,” known as “M23,” and its political wing, the “Congo River Alliance.”

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Treasury said that the sanctions, imposed by its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), targeted the ministry alongside “Zigama Credit,” a Rwandan financial institution accused of playing “a key role in facilitating Rwanda’s support for M23.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in a remark included in the statement that through the imposed sanctions, “the United States is fulfilling President Donald Trump’s pledge to hold Rwanda accountable for its commitments under the ‘Washington Agreements for Peace and Prosperity,’ which were reached through U.S. mediation and signed by the presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda on December 4, 2025.” He emphasized that Rwanda must “cease its support for M23 and withdraw its forces from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

The U.S. Treasury statement confirmed that Rwanda’s Ministry of Defense “serves as the organizational umbrella for Rwanda’s security apparatus, including the Rwanda Defence Forces,” which have been under OFAC sanctions since last March.

Regarding Zigama, the U.S. Treasury stated that it “operates for the benefit of Rwanda’s security apparatus.” It accused the institution of “facilitating payments to entities in China and other countries in exchange for weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment for the Rwanda Defence Forces,” and of easing the payment of travel and accommodation costs for Rwanda Defence Forces personnel during training activities.

In a separate statement, the U.S. Department of State, through spokesperson Tommy Pigott, said that Rwanda’s Ministry of Defense’s support for M23 constitutes a “violation of Rwanda’s commitments” under the Washington Agreements and “undermines their goals of achieving peace and prosperity.” It stressed that “armed groups or their state sponsors must not benefit from the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

It pointed out that “civilians are facing practices such as forced labor, hazardous working conditions, and illegal taxation in gold and coltan mining areas controlled by M23, including the Rubaya area in North Kivu province in the northern part of the country.” It urged Washington’s partners and the private sector to “carefully scrutinize their supply chains.”

It also called on “all parties to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” affirming that the United States “will use all available tools to hold accountable those who prolong this conflict.”