More Sanctions
Rwanda feels the anger of Trump
Several adjectives come to mind after learning about the decision made on March 4th by the Treasury Department. This announcement left people stunned or even surprised.
On that date it was announced that sanctions were being imposed on the Rwandan Defense Forces and four individuals Vincent Nyakarundi, Ruki Karusisi, Muburakh Muganga, and Stanislas Gashugi. These sanctions are being imposed for the support given to M23 during their offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The group has been rather low in its withdrawal from certain areas and reports of a Rwandan buildup on the border with the DRC inflame tensions. Another factor for the imposition of sanctions is the slow pace of the implementation of the Washington Accords.
Another critical element that may be overlooked is the discovery of two mass graves with 171 bodies in the Sud Kivu province. The graves which were found around Uvira were in territory that was recently vacated by M23. The group did state that it withdrew from the city as a “unilateral trust-building measure” to fulfill a request made by the United States to facilitate the peace process.
Another issue involves a recent Drone Strike against Kisangani that has taken place in recent days. M23 has been blamed for launching this attack against the airport.
Despite the signing of the accords fighting is still occurring in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. On March 9th MONUCSO (United Nations Mission in the Congo) released a damning report on conflict-fueled sexual violence that is plaguing the country. The documentation by the UN Joint Human Rights Office found that in 2025 887 cases of sexual violence were reported with 1,534 victims. These numbers were broken down into 854 women and 672 girls. The report found that 80% of these cases were from the provinces of Nord and Sud Kivu.
The UN found that armed groups were responsible for 75% of the cases documented. The armed group that was found to be responsible for most cases was M23 with 439 reported cases. Other groups found to be responsible for sexual violence were the Wazalendo Fighters which are allied to the Congolese Government, CODECO, various Mai-Mai groups, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The other 25% were found to be conducted by state actors.
One may ask what is the motive of the Trump Administration regarding the sanctions? Is it to have someone hold Rwanda accountable for their actions in the Congo as many activists have been screaming about for decades? Or is it to facilitate the process so that the administration can have a foreign policy victory where the impression is that it is not a priority?
One issue with the accords currently may be the focus of implementation. We see accusations by the Congolese Government about the slow pace of Rwanda. Some may wonder why there isn’t any scrutiny towards Kinshasa in this process? There are benchmarks that the Congolese Government needs to match with Kigali as well. Not in the first side than the other scenario, but both sides match each other.
The situation is so acrimonious that neither Rwandan President Paul Kagame nor his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshishekedi attended the East African Community Summit in Arusha, Tanzania over this past weekend. This shows that the tensions between the two nations remain
There are no plans for an additional meeting between these two leaders and President Trump. Should a follow-up meeting take place? It could not hurt to have President Trump to have another conversation with these two leaders.
An economic boom while ending a long-lasting source of regional tensions. Who couldn’t want that?