Summary:
In a statement posted on February 17 via his X account, Muyaya described the move as the beginning of a broader effort to hold Rwanda accountable.
NEWS: The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, has expressed support for the U.S. government’s sanctions against James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration, and Lawrence Kanyuka, the spokesperson for the M23 rebel group.
In a statement posted on February 17 via his X account, Muyaya described the move as the beginning of a broader effort to hold Rwanda accountable. He called for stronger measures from the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, and other international partners to pressure Rwanda into withdrawing its forces and ceasing its alleged destabilizing activities in the DRC.
Washington justified the sanctions by accusing Kabarebe and Kanyuka of facilitating operations that contribute to human rights violations and ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.
In response, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the sanctions as unjustified, arguing that if such measures were truly effective in bringing peace to the Great Lakes region, stability would have already been achieved.
Meanwhile, the Congolese citizen movement Lucha welcomed the sanctions but urged the U.S. to extend them to other key figures involved in the conflict. The sanctions come amid the continued advance of M23 rebels, allegedly supported by the Rwandan army, in North and South Kivu provinces.
