The United States (US) has imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and several senior military officials over their alleged role in the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Those targeted include Rwanda’s Army Chief of Staff, Vincent Nyakarundi. Washington has called for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan forces from the mineral-rich region.
In a statement, the US Department of State said that days after President Donald Trump presided over a peace agreement between Rwanda and the DRC last December, M23 fighters captured the Congolese city of Uvira in violation of that deal.
The US described the March 23 Movement (M23), already sanctioned by both the US and the United Nations, as responsible for serious human rights abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians, among them women and children.
According to Washington, continued backing from the RDF and its senior leadership has enabled M23 to seize Congolese territory and carry out further abuses.
Rwanda’s government, however, told Reuters that the sanctions unfairly single out one party to the peace process and misrepresent the reality of the conflict. Kigali maintains it remains committed to disengaging its forces, provided the DRC also fulfils its obligations under the agreement.
–ChannelAfrica–
