The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Thursday that it has imposed sanctions on a Rwandan government minister and a senior member of an armed group for their alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to the statement, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration, James Kabarebe, was sanctioned for being “central to Rwanda’s support” for the M23 militant group, which has been accused of committing human rights abuses in Congo.
Also sanctioned was Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, a senior member and spokesperson of the M23 and Congo River Alliance, along with two companies he controls in Britain and France.
The sanctions come amid heightened tensions in the region, with the U.S. increasing pressure on actors accused of fueling instability in eastern Congo.
