The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration, James Kabarebe, and a senior leader of a rebel group for their alleged roles in escalating the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Kabarebe and Rwanda-backed rebel group M23’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, along with two companies linked to Kingston — Kingston Fresh, a UK-registered food services company and Kingston Holding, a French-based mining consultancy.
According to the US, the M23 group has intensified its territorial control in the Congo since December, seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.
Washington called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from Congo and engage in diplomatic efforts under the Angola-led Luanda Process.
Since Jan. 26, the conflict has resulted in over 3,000 deaths, nearly 3,000 injuries and more than 500,000 new displacements, adding to the already 6.4 million displaced, according to the UN.
At least 20 peacekeepers, including 14 South Africans, have been killed in clashes between the M23 rebels and Congolese forces.