US sanctions Rwanda's defence ministry and bank over M23 support in DR Congo

The United States has placed sanctions on Rwanda's Ministry of Defence and a Rwandan financial institution, Zigama Credit and Savings Society, accusing both of supporting the M23 armed group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the measures on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. All assets the two entities hold in the United States, or that are controlled by US persons, are now frozen and must be reported to OFAC. Americans and foreign nationals are barred from doing business with them, and violations could attract civil or criminal penalties.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tied the move to the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed by the presidents of Rwanda and the DRC on 4 December 2025 with US mediation.

"Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC," Bessent said.

What Washington alleges

According to the Treasury, Rwanda's Ministry of Defence directed the deployment of thousands of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) troops into North and South Kivu provinces. It says those troops fought alongside M23 and gave the group weapons, supplies, training and logistics. The RDF was itself sanctioned in March 2026, along with four senior military officials.

OFAC also says Rwandan forces brought surface-to-air missile systems and jamming equipment into the conflict zone, raising risks for civilian aircraft.

On Zigama, the Treasury alleges the institution processed payments to companies in China and elsewhere for weapons, ammunition and military equipment for the RDF, and covered travel and accommodation for training. A Zigama branch, it says, helped move gold from M23-controlled mines in South Kivu to Kigali, and handled tens of millions of dollars in transactions for M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance.

M23, which both the US and the United Nations designate as an armed group, captured the provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu in early 2025. The Treasury says civilians in areas it controls have faced extrajudicial killings, unlawful detention, torture, forced labour in mining and illegal taxation.

Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing M23. Reuters reported that Rwandan and Congolese government representatives had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

Why it matters beyond the region

Eastern DRC holds some of the world's richest deposits of coltan and gold, minerals that feed global electronics and jewellery supply chains. The Treasury says minerals from M23-held areas are entering Rwandan supply chains, and that Rwanda's own mining output is smaller than the volumes it reports exporting.

The fighting has displaced large numbers of people and deepened a humanitarian crisis. For Nigeria, the sanctions are a reminder of how conflict minerals and arms financing move through global banking, and of the compliance checks African banks and traders increasingly face.

The Treasury said its sanctions aim to change behaviour rather than punish indefinitely, and that listed entities can apply to be removed.