The United States has imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence, Zigama Credit and Savings Society, over alleged support for the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group operating in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The U.S State Department announced the sanctions in a press statement issued yesterday by its spokesman, Thomas Pigott, accusing Rwanda of supporting M23 fighters in North and South Kivu provinces.

According to the statement, thousands of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) troops are fighting alongside M23 and have supplied the group with weapons and training.

It also alleged that Rwandan troops had deployed surface-to-air missiles and jamming equipment in the region, posing risks to civilian aviation.

The U.S said Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence was being sanctioned for materially assisting or providing financial, material, logistical or technological support to the RDF while Zigama, a financial institution serving Rwanda’s security services, was accused of supporting the RDF, M23 and the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC).

The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 13413 as amended, which addresses the situation in the DRC.

The State Department said Rwanda’s alleged support for M23 violated commitments made under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed by the leaders of Rwanda and the DRC on December 4, 2025, following an initiative by United States President Donald Trump.

Under the agreement, both countries committed to ending the conflict and expanding trade and investment across Africa’s Great Lakes region.

The U.S called on Rwanda to end its support for M23 and any successor armed groups and withdraw its forces from eastern DRC, warning that continued military involvement undermined efforts to achieve peace and prosperity in the region.

The statement also raised concerns about the exploitation of natural resources in areas controlled by M23, particularly gold and coltan mining sites, including Rubaya in North Kivu.

It alleged that civilians in the areas faced forced labour, dangerous working conditions and illegal taxation while warning that armed groups and their state sponsors must not profit from the DRC’s natural resources.

America urged its international partners and private-sector organisations to scrutinise their supply chains to ensure they were not contributing to the financing of the conflict.