The United States is sanctioning as of late two individuals and two entities linked to violence and human rights abuses in jap Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This action includes designation of Rwanda’s Minister of Direct for Regional Integration James Kabarebe and the M23 and the Congo River Alliance spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, alongside two of Kanyuka’s corporations, Kingston Contemporary and Kingston Holding.
Since mid-December 2024, the Rwanda-backed armed neighborhood M23 has expanded its administration thru 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 beef up, it has additionally threatened, injured, killed, and displaced thousands of innocent civilians, cost the lives of three UN peacekeepers and wounded a number of others. This violence risks escalating into a broader regional struggle.
These days’s action underscores the need for Rwanda to come support to negotiations under the Angola-led Luanda Process to pause a resolution to the struggle in jap DRC. The United States calls on the leaders of Rwanda to finish their beef up for M23, itself already designated by b
oth the United States and the UN, and withdraw all Rwandan Protection Force troops from DRC territory. We call on Rwanda to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. We additionally lumber the Governments of Rwanda and the DRC to sustain accountable those in cost for human rights violations and abuses. The persistence of struggle impedes financial development and dissuades U.S. businesses from investing in each Rwanda and the DRC—a loss for the establish and the American folks.
The Division of the Treasury took actions pursuant to Executive Portray (E.O.) 13413, as amended by E.O. 13671. For more information on as of late’s action, perceive Treasury’s press release.
