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The United States has announced its intention to impose visa restrictions on several senior Rwandan officials accused of fuelling instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The State Department, in a statement, said the visa restrictions will target Rwandan officials who allegedly support the M23 rebel group in neighbouring DRC.
“By continuing to support M23 and violating the Washington Accords, these individuals are driving violence and undermining the stability of the entire Great Lakes Region,” the department said.
Anadolu Agency reported that the US had imposed sanctions against Rwanda’s military and four senior officers accused of “actively supporting, training and fighting alongside” the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo earlier in the week.
The M23’s involvement in the DRC conflict started in 2012 when many former members of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) clashed with the DRC Government.
The rebel group gained control of several key towns in the DRC, including Goma, in 2012, but was defeated in 2013. The rebel group, however, resurfaced in 2021, and the conflict has intensified ever since.
The DRC Government has blamed Rwanda for supporting the M23 armed group and providing them with military support, but Rwanda denies the allegations.
The US, the United Nations and other world leaders have attempted to broker peace between the DRC, Rwanda and the M23 armed group in hopes of a permanent ceasefire, but the conflict rages on.
