The Donald Trump administration has imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence and Zigama Credit and Savings Society for supporting the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The State Department announced the sanctions in a statement on Wednesday, citing Rwanda’s deployment of thousands of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) troops to collaborate with the M23 rebel group in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
The US further accused the RDF of supplying M23 with weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, and jamming equipment that endangers civilian air travel, stating that the actions violated the Washington Accords.
The US said Rwanda’s actions violated the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, which the leaders of Rwanda and the DRC signed in December 2025 under Mr Trump’s administration.
The agreement was intended to end the conflict in eastern DRC and promote peace, trade and investment across the Great Lakes region of Africa.
“Rwanda’s Ministry of Defense’s support for M23 violates those obligations and undermines the Washington Accords’ goals of peace and prosperity,” the US State Department said. “Rwanda must stop supporting M23 and any successor armed groups and withdraw its forces from eastern DRC.”
The US government also raised concerns over forced labour, dangerous working conditions and illegal taxation in gold and coltan mining areas under M23 control, including Rubaya in North Kivu.
The Trump administration urged private-sector businesses to vet their supply chains to prevent armed groups and their sponsors from profiting from the DRC’s natural resources.
Washington also called on all parties to respect the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, warning that it would use every available tool to hold accountable those prolonging the conflict.
