The Rwandan government has condemned the US sanctions imposed on its Minister of State James Kabarebe and M23 rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, describing the measures as “unjustified” and “unfounded.”
The US Department of the Treasury, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), sanctioned Kabarebe for his alleged role in supporting the M23 group, a militia that has been destabilizing the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kanyuka, senior member and spokesperson of the M23, and his companies, Kingston Fresh (UK) and Kingston Holding (France), were also targeted by the sanctions.
According to the US Treasury, Kabarebe has played a central role in coordinating Rwanda’s support for M23, including its involvement in extracting minerals from DRC-controlled areas.
The US accuses the group of committing severe human rights abuses, including killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement of civilians.
“Today’s action underscores our intent to hold accountable key officials and leaders like Kabarebe and Kanyuka, who are enabling the RDF and M23’s destabilizing activities in the eastern DRC,” said acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith.
However, in a February 20 statement, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismisses the sanctions and asserting that they would not resolve the conflict in the region.
“If sanctions could resolve conflict in eastern DR Congo, we would have had peace in the region decades ago,” the statement reads.
Rwanda said the conflict has involved multiple hostile forces, including the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), the FDLR militia, and European mercenaries, none of whom have faced sanctions from the international community.
The Rwandan government maintains that it has been acting in self-defense, seeking to secure its western borders from the ongoing violence emanating from DR Congo.
Rwanda's statement stresses that the international community’s failure to take action against these forces, particularly the Congolese government, has only prolonged the crisis in eastern DR Congo.
"Rwanda's only aim is a secure border and an irreversible end to the politics of armed ethnic extremism in our region. This is a matter of national security," the statement continues.
Kigali also rejected the notion that sanctions would contribute to lasting peace and stability, framing them instead as unwarranted external interference in an African-led peace process.
As a demonstration of its dissatisfaction with international responses, Rwanda this week took a further step by suspending development ties with Belgium.
The move appears to be a preemptive response to growing tensions and a clear indication of Rwanda’s frustration with external pressure regarding its involvement in DR Congo.
Belgium has been at the forefront of pushing for sanctions against Rwanda in the West with attempts to move the European Union last week yielding no result after the European bloc was divided on the matter.
However, earlier this week, the UK summoned Rwanda's envoy, who defended the central African nation's involvement in the conflict, saying Rwanda faced existential threats to its borders from DR Congo's alleged use of genocidal militia FDLR in its national army.
The FDLR are widely accused of complicity in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. They have since been embedded in the Congolese national army, FARDC, alongside militia like Wazalendo.
Rwanda emphasised its commitment to the African-led mediation process, notably the recent joint EAC-SADC Summit and African Union Summit, which it views as the only credible pathway to peace.
“Punitive measures, including sanctions, make no contribution toward long-term security, peace, and stability for all the countries of the Great Lakes region,” Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded, calling for more robust support for the African Union’s efforts to broker a negotiated solution to the ongoing conflict.
