Rwanda says US sanctions against its minister over Congo conflict ‘unjustified’

KIGALI, Rwanda

Rwanda late on Thursday condemned the US decision to impose sanctions on its minister over M23 rebels fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, describing it as “unjustified and unfounded.”

The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the economic sanctions against Rwanda's Minister of State for Regional Integration James Kabarebe, a former army commander, saying that he was central to his country's support for the M23 rebels.

The US also imposed sanctions on Lawrence Kanyuka, the M23 rebel spokesman, along with two companies he controls — Kingston Fresh, a UK-registered food services company, and Kingston Holding, a French-based mining consultancy.

In a statement, Rwanda's Foreign Ministry said the sanctions were not a solution to the ongoing conflict in Congo.

“If sanctions could resolve conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, we would have had peace in the region decades ago,” it said.

“Punitive measures including sanctions make no contribution toward long term security, peace, and stability for all the countries of the Great Lakes region. Such measures can only be construed as unwarranted external interference in the Africa-led process which risks prolonging the resolution of the conflict.”

The sanctions came after the M23 group intensified its territorial control in eastern Congo since December, seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.

Washington called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from Congo and engage in diplomatic efforts under the Angola-led Luanda Process.

Since Jan. 26, the conflict has resulted in over 3,000 deaths, nearly 3,000 injuries and more than 500,000 new displacements, adding to the already 6.4 million displaced, according to the UN.