President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has described US sanctions as “insults thrown in the face” of Kigali, saying Washington is exerting “heavy pressure” on the East African country while treating the DR Congo “delicately”.
US Sanctions Against Rwanda
The United States announced sanctions early March against the Rwandan army over its support for the M23 anti-governmental group, which has seized swathes of the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2021.
Peace Deal and Continued Clashes
The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace deal at US President Donald Trump’s urging in December, in the latest attempt to end the conflict but clashes have continued on the front.
Kagame’s Response to Sanctions
“Sanctions and threats are nothing but insults thrown in the face of my country,” Kagame said in an interview with Jeune Afrique news outlet published on Friday.
The US government “must not give the impression of exerting heavy pressure on one while treating the other delicately”, he said.
Rwanda’s Involvement in the DRC
Kagame said that Rwanda was fulfilling “all its obligations under the agreements” signed in Washington, unlike the DRC, which, he said, “only very partially meets them or not at all”.
The M23 made advances in early 2025, capturing the major eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Call for Security Financing
Kagame also called on oil giants Total, Exxon Mobil or Eni to “find a way to finance the security they need” in Mozambique’s oil-rich but restive northern Cabo Delgado province.
