Rwanda is facing international backlash for backing M23 rebels in DR Congo, an accusation it denies.The US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on a Rwandan government minister and a senior member of an armed group for their alleged role in the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as M23 rebels there continue an offensive that is fuelling a mass exodus to Burundi.
The US Treasury Department on Thursday said Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration James Kabarebe was being targeted because he is “central to Rwanda’s support” for the M23 armed group.
The US sanctions also targeted Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, a senior member and spokesperson for the Congo River Alliance – which includes the M23 – and two companies he controls in the United Kingdom and France.
In a statement, the Treasury said the two individuals and two entities were “linked to violence and human rights abuses” in DRC. “Today’s action underscores the need for Rwanda to return to negotiations under the Angola-led Luanda Process to achieve a resolution to the conflict in eastern DRC,” it added. Advertisement
There was no immediate comment from Rwanda, which denies accusations from the United Nations, the US and several other countries that it supports the M23 militarily.
Rwanda has accused the DRC of sheltering the FDLR, an armed group created by Hutus who took part in the massacre of Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The DRC government accuses Rwanda of “expansionist ambitions” and says it is stealing vast amounts of minerals. UN experts said in a report (PDF) published last month that …
