The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions Wednesday on the Rwandan Ministry of Defence and Zigama Credit and Savings Society for their roles in supporting the M23 rebel group and its successor organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures fulfill President Trump’s commitment to enforce the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity signed by the DRC and Rwanda on December 4, 2025. “Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC,” Bessent stated.

The sanctions target the Ministry of Defence as the umbrella organization overseeing Rwanda’s security services, including the Rwanda Defence Force. Washington previously sanctioned the RDF on March 2, 2026. According to the Treasury, the ministry directed the deployment of thousands of RDF troops into North and South Kivu provinces, where they have operated alongside M23 fighters and supplied the group with military equipment, ammunition, logistics, and training.

The Treasury also sanctioned Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a financial institution tied to Rwanda’s security services. Officials accused it of facilitating tens of millions of dollars in transactions supporting M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance, now succeeded by the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation. A Zigama branch reportedly enabled the transport of gold extracted from M23-controlled mining areas in South Kivu to Kigali.

M23, a U.S.- and UN-designated armed group, has seized territory in eastern DRC, including key population centers and mineral-rich areas. The conflict has driven mass displacement and humanitarian suffering. The Trump administration brokered the Washington Accords to end the fighting and promote regional economic cooperation, including transparency in critical minerals supply chains.

The new sanctions block any property under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit Americans from dealing with the designated entities. They represent an escalation in efforts to hold Rwanda accountable despite the earlier peace agreement.