US Treasury Sanctions Rwandan Ministry of Defence and Zigama for Supporting M23 in Eastern DRC
Washington — The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on October 28 imposed sanctions on the Rwandan Ministry of Defence and Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a Rwandan financial institution, saying both have supported the March 23 Movement (M23) and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance. As a result, all property and interests in property of the two that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.
"Today, the United States makes good on President Trump's promise to hold Rwanda accountable for its commitments under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity," Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in the Treasury statement. "Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC." The Washington Accords were signed by the heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda on December 4, 2025, and incorporated a regional economic framework to expand trade and investment and enhance transparency in critical minerals supply chains.
Treasury said the Rwandan Ministry of Defence is the umbrella organization for Rwanda's security services, including the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), which OFAC sanctioned on March 2, 2026. At the ministry's direction, Treasury said, the RDF has deployed thousands of troops across eastern DRC's North and South Kivu provinces, where they conduct operations alongside M23 and provide the group with military equipment, supplies, logistical support and training, and has introduced advanced weaponry including surface-to-air missile systems and jamming equipment, creating risks for civilian aviation in eastern DRC. Treasury said M23 has carried out extrajudicial killings, unlawful detentions and torture in areas under its control, captured Goma and Bukavu, the capitals of North and South Kivu, in early 2025, and taken control of mining areas including gold mines in South Kivu and the Rubaya coltan mining area in North Kivu, where civilians have been subjected to forced labor and illegal taxation. The ministry was designated under Executive Order 13413, as amended, for materially assisting, sponsoring or providing support to the RDF.
As for Zigama, Treasury said the institution operates on behalf of Rwanda's security services, facilitated payments to entities in China and additional countries for weapons, ammunition and other military equipment for the RDF, and facilitated payments for RDF travel and accommodation for training. A Zigama branch also enabled the transportation of gold sourced from M23-controlled territory in eastern DRC to Kigali, and Zigama facilitated financial transactions for M23 and the Congo River Alliance amounting to tens of millions of dollars, Treasury said. Zigama was designated under E.O. 13413, as amended, for providing support to the RDF, M23 and the Congo River Alliance.
Treasury said entities owned 50 percent or more by blocked persons are also blocked, that U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transactions involving blocked persons' property unless authorized by OFAC or exempt, and that violations may result in civil or criminal penalties. Treasury said the ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish but to bring about a positive change in behavior, and that designated persons may petition OFAC for removal from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. On October 12, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation announced its formation as the successor to the Congo River Alliance.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国财政部大楼（2023年摄）。Wisneyykarin 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The U.S. Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D.C. (2023). Photo by Wisneyykarin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
