Washington sanctions the Rwandan army, Kigali denounces “unilateral” measures

SOS Médias Burundi

Goma, March 3, 2026 – The diplomatic crisis surrounding the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is escalating. The United States announced sanctions on Monday against the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four of its top military officials, accused of actively supporting the M23 rebellion. Kigali immediately denounced the sanctions as “unfair” and “one-sided.”

High-ranking officers targeted

The U.S. Treasury Department, through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), designated :

General Mubarakh Muganga, Chief of Defence Staff of Rwanda, the highest-ranking officer in the RDF;

Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army;

Major General Ruki Karusisi, commander of the RDF’s 5th Infantry Division and former commander of the special forces;

Brigadier General Stanislas Gashugi, current commander of the Rwandan special forces.

Washington accuses these officials of playing a central role in providing military support to the M23, notably through the planning of operations, the supply of sophisticated equipment—drones, air defense systems, GPS jamming devices—and the direct deployment of Rwandan troops on the Congolese soil. The sanctions include freezing their assets in the United States and prohibiting any transactions with American citizens.

The American accusations

According to Washington, the RDF enabled the M23 to seize strategic cities such as Goma, Bukavu, and, more recently, Uvira, near the Burundian border. US authorities believe these offensives constitute a flagrant violation of the Washington Accords signed on December 4, 2025, between the DRC and Rwanda, under the US mediation.

The United States demands the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops, weapons, and equipment from eastern Congo.

Kigali denounces a “biased” interpretation

In a statement released on March 2 in Kigali, the Rwandan government deplored the “unilateral” sanctions, which it claims “distort the reality of the conflict.”

Kigali accuses the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by local Wazalendo militias and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), of violating the ceasefire commitments. Rwanda claims that the DRC is not fulfilling its obligations to dismantle the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group, some of whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Despite repeated denials from Kigali, a report by the UN Group of Experts published in December 2025 confirmed the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside M23 fighters.

A war with regional ramifications

The situation is already particularly tense, and the Congolese conflict has taken on a regional dimension. Since December 2025, Burundi and Rwanda have reinforced their military deployments along their respective borders.

The M23, composed primarily of Congolese Tutsis, is now affiliated with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). The movement, which advocates for a federal state in the DRC, controls several strategic areas, including Goma and Bukavu, the capitals of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, as well as the Rubaya mining site.

According to a report by the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security, consulted by SOS Médias Burundi in December 2025, more than 29,000 soldiers from the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) were deployed between August 2022 and December 2025 to support the FARDC and the Wazalendo militia.

Last December, Burundian authorities partially withdrew their troops following the M23’s dramatic advances and heavy losses suffered by the FDNB, before carrying out a limited redeployment a few weeks later. Currently, Burundian soldiers are stationed only in South Kivu.

Despite the Washington Agreement, signed on December 4, 2025, hostilities continue. Burundi participated in this agreement as an observer, represented by President Évariste Ndayishimiye.

Civilians caught in the crossfire and a major humanitarian crisis

Each flare-up of violence triggers new mass displacements of people, exacerbating an already dire situation.

By the end of February 2026, the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo had reached an unprecedented critical level. Millions of people are now displaced by the ongoing fighting in the east of the country.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs)

Approximately 7.8 million people are internally displaced within the DRC.

The provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri are home to the majority of displaced persons.

Between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, hundreds of thousands more people were forced to flee their villages, despite some isolated and precarious returns.

Congolese refugees in neighboring countries

More than 1.2 million Congolese live as refugees or asylum seekers in neighboring countries, particularly Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Faced with cross-accusations, international sanctions, and weakened commitments, the Washington Agreements already appear to be under severe strain, while civilians continue to pay the price of a conflict whose implications are now clearly regional.