Today, the United States is sanctioning Rwanda’s Ministry of Defense and Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a financial institution that serves Rwanda’s security services, for supporting the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Thousands of Rwanda Defense Force troops fight alongside M23 in North and South Kivu provinces and have supplied the group with weapons and training. Rwandan troops have also brought in surface-to-air missiles and jamming equipment that endanger civilian aviation.
On December 4, 2025, President Trump brought the leaders of the DRC and Rwanda together to sign the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity (Washington Accords). Both governments agreed to end the conflict and expand 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. Rwanda must stop supporting M23 and any successor armed groups and withdraw its forces from eastern DRC. Moreover, armed groups and their state sponsors must not profit from the DRC’s natural resources. In the gold and coltan mining areas under M23 control, including Rubaya in North Kivu, civilians face forced labor, dangerous working conditions, and illegal taxation. We urge our partners and the private sector to examine their supply chains closely. The United States calls on all actors to respect the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will use every available tool to hold accountable those who prolong this conflict.
The Rwandan Ministry of Defense is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13413, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of the RDF. Zigama is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13413, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the RDF, M23, and AFC.