Senior RDF officials Vincent Nyakarundi, Ruki Karusisi, Mubarakh Muganga, and Stanislas Gashugi | Image by Nyamuhombeza Ombe/X
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force and four of its senior officials for their support of a UN and U.S.-sanctioned militant group.
The RDF and commanders Vincent Nyakarundi, Ruki Karusisi, Mubarakh Muganga, and Stanislas Gashugi for supporting the March 23 Movement (M23), which has been blamed for human rights abuses and mass displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Rwandan military has trained fighters, deployed thousands of troops, and introduced advanced equipment, including GPS jamming systems, air defense gear, and drones to help M23 seize territory in eastern Congo, including the capitals Goma and Bukavu, and mining sites. M23’s offensives, which involved extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture, would not have succeeded without RDF backing, the Treasury said.
Nyakarundi serves as the RDF Army Chief of Staff. Karusisi commands the 5th Infantry Division after leading special operations. Muganga is the Chief of Defence Staff, having previously served as the Army Chief of Staff during operations in eastern Congo. Gashugi took over as Special Operations Force Commander in March 2025.
“President Trump is the Peace President, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to ensure that the parties to the Washington Accords uphold their obligations,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a Department news release. “We expect the immediate withdrawal of Rwanda Defence Force troops, weapons, and equipment.”
The actions came days after President Donald J. Trump hosted Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame to sign the Joint Declaration on the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity. M23 then captured Uvira near the Burundi border, killing civilians and displacing thousands before withdrawing, though RDF support persists and risks wider conflict.
The U.S. joined the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes in condemning the operations and demanding RDF withdrawal from eastern Congo. In January 2025, RDF forces attacked Congolese troops, the Southern African Development Community Mission, and UN positions there.
The Treasury designated the RDF under Executive Order 13413, as amended, for threatening Congo’s peace and materially supporting M23. The four officials were designated as RDF leaders complicit in those actions. All U.S.-held assets are blocked, and Americans are barred from transactions with them absent a license. Entities 50% or more owned by them also face blocks.
Violations carry civil or criminal penalties, including for non-U.S. persons evading sanctions. Financial institutions risk secondary sanctions. According to its guidelines, OFAC enforces on a strict liability basis.
Sanctions aim for behavioral change, not punishment, and parties can petition removal via OFAC’s process. More information on those designated can be found here.