The United States (US) Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on Rwanda Minister of State for Regional Integration James Kabarebe and the M23 and the Congo River Alliance spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston over links to violence and human rights abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The two were sanctioned alongside two of Kanyuka’s companies, Kingston Fresh and Kingston Holding.
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Kingston Fresh LTD (Kingston Fresh) is a food services company in the UK that is directed and owned by Kanyuka. Kingston Fresh is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13413, as amended, for being owned or controlled by Kanyuka.
Kingston Holding is a mining consultancy based in Paris, France, that is managed and owned by Kanyuka. Kingston Holding is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13413, as amended, for being owned or controlled by Kanyuka.
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US said since mid-December 2024, the Rwanda-backed armed group M23 has expanded its control through DRC territory, seizing the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma on January 27 and the South Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu on February 16.
US Sanctions Rwanda Minister James Kabarebe and Senior Militant
It added that this aggression has undermined the territorial integrity of the DRC.
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“With Rwanda’s support, it has also threatened, injured, killed, and displaced thousands of innocent civilians, cost the lives of three UN peacekeepers and wounded several others. This violence risks escalating into a broader regional conflict,” the US said.
The US stated that the actions underscore the need for Rwanda to return to negotiations under the Angola-led Luanda Process to achieve a resolution to the conflict in eastern DRC.
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It called on the leaders of Rwanda to end their support for M23, which is already designated by both the United States and the UN, and to withdraw all Rwandan Defense Force troops from DRC territory.
“We call on Rwanda to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. We also urge the governments of Rwanda and the DRC to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses,” the statement further read.
It also mentioned that the persistence of conflict impedes economic development and discourages U.S. businesses from investing in both Rwanda and the DRC—a loss for the region and the American people.
Why the Two Were Sanctioned
US stated that James Kabarebe a former RDF general is a central political and military figure and has played key roles in conflicts in the DRC over the past three decades.
The department alleged that Kabarebe is a Rwandan government liaison to M23 and orchestrates RDF support for the armed group.
In addition, it ststed that Kabarebe manages much of Rwanda and M23’s generation of revenue from the DRC’s mineral resources.
“He has coordinated the export of extracted minerals from mining sites in the DRC for eventual export from Rwanda,” U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said.
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“Kabarebe is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13413, as amended, for being responsible for or complicit in, or to have engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the DRC, in or in relation to the DRC.”
On his part Kanyuka was sanctioned because he is central to M23 and the Congo River Alliance’s messaging strategy and conducts media and diplomatic outreach on their behalf.
Kanyuka is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13413, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, M23.C\
Consequences of the Sanctions
As a result, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.
In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.
Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt, U.S. sanctions generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.
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