The United States has sanctioned two individuals and two entities linked to violence and human rights abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC.
Among those sanctioned by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, is James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration. Kabarebe is central to Rwanda’s support for the March 23 Movement, or M23, a U.S.- and United Nations-designated armed group that has rapidly expanded its territorial control in eastern DRC and is responsible for human rights abuses.
OFAC has also sanctioned Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, an M23 and Congo River Alliance senior member and spokesperson, alongside two of Kanyuka’s companies, Kingston Fresh and Kingston Holding.
Since mid-December 2024, the Rwanda-backed armed group M23 has expanded its control through DRC territory, seizing the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma on January 27 and the South Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu on February 16. This aggression has undermined the territorial integrity of the DRC. With Rwanda’s support, it has also threatened, injured, killed, and displaced thousands of innocent civilians, cost the lives of three UN peacekeepers and wounded several others. This violence risks escalating into a broader regional conflict, OFAC noted.
The United States intends “to hold accountable key officials and leaders like Kabarebe and Kanyuka, who are enabling the [Rwandan Defense Forces] and M23’s destabilizing activities in the eastern DRC,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith.
These sanctions underscore the need for Rwanda to return to negotiations under the Angola-led Luanda Process to achieve a resolution to the conflict in eastern DRC.
The United States calls on the leaders of Rwanda to end their support for M23 and withdraw all Rwandan Defense Force troops from DRC territory. “We call on Rwanda to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a statement.
“We also urge the governments of Rwanda and the DRC to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses,” added spokesperson Bruce. “The persistence of conflict impedes economic development and dissuades U.S. businesses from investing in both Rwanda and the DRC - a loss for the region and the American people.”
