U.S. Expands Sanctions Over Eastern Congo Conflict, Targeting Rwanda’s Defence Ministry and Zigama CSS

The United States has expanded its sanctions over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, this time targeting Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence and a Rwandan financial institution that U.S. officials allege helped sustain M23 rebel operations.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, said Oct. 28 that it had sanctioned the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Rwanda and Zigama Credit and Savings Society, known as Zigama CSS, under Executive Order 13413, as amended, the U.S. sanctions program tied to the conflict in Congo. Treasury said the measures block all property and interests in property of the designated entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons. U.S. persons also are generally barred from doing business with them.

Treasury alleged that, at the ministry’s direction, the Rwanda Defence Force has deployed thousands of troops into eastern Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces, where they operated alongside M23 and provided the armed group with military equipment, supplies, logistical support and training. Treasury also alleged that Zigama CSS facilitated payments to entities in China and other countries for weapons, ammunition and other military equipment for the Rwanda Defence Force; paid for travel and accommodations tied to military training; enabled the transport of gold from M23-controlled territory to Kigali through a Zigama branch; and handled financial transactions worth tens of millions of dollars for M23 and the Congo River Alliance. Those claims are allegations by the U.S. government and were not independently verified here.

The move marks a clear escalation from earlier U.S. sanctions. On March 2, OFAC designated the Rwanda Defence Force itself and four senior RDF commanders. The new action goes a step further by reaching the ministry above the army and a financial institution that Treasury says enabled payments and mineral-linked financing connected to the conflict.

M23 is an armed group active in eastern Congo. The United States and the United Nations have tied it to severe abuses and to support networks extending into Rwanda. Treasury cast the Oct. 28 action as part of enforcement of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed by the leaders of Rwanda and Congo on Dec. 4, 2025.

A U.N. Group of Experts final report issued in June, identified as S/2026/466, said M23 was the leading perpetrator of U.N.-verified human rights violations in 2025, with 1,947 of the 6,185 total violations recorded. The Congolese army, known as FARDC, was second with 789. The report documented killings, torture, sexual violence, forced recruitment and forced labor in areas under M23 control.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the department’s Oct. 28 statement: “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.”

Rwanda has pushed back on pressure tied to the accords while saying it remains prepared to implement them. Yolande Makolo, a Rwandan government spokesperson, said in comments reported by international media: “Rwanda remains ready to fully implement the Washington Accords, concurrently with the willingness of the DRC to fulfill those commitments, and with the mediator holding all parties accountable.”