By MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – The United States government has imposed sanctions against the Rwandan armed forces (RDF) and four named senior Rwandan officials.
A Monday statement from the State Department principal spokesperson, Thomas Pigott, said the sanctions are a reaction to the RDF’s “direct operational support to the March 23 Movement (M23) and its affiliates in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).”
In December 2025 Trump presided over what he called the “Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity”, signed by DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
The M23 rebels are said to be proxies of the Rwandan government, although Rwanda has repeatedly denied this.
The most recent territorial advance of the M23 was the seizure of the town of Uvira, which Pigott described as “a clear violation of the Washington Accords”.
Pigott’s release accused the M23 of “horrific human rights abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians, including women and children. The continued backing from the RDF and its senior leadership has enabled M23 to capture DRC sovereign territory and continue these grave abuses”.
The release threatened that Trump is prepared to use “all available tools” to force Rwanda and the DRC to respect the Washington Accords.
A press release from US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Besant declared “We expect the immediate withdrawal (from the DRC) of Rwanda Defence Force troops, weapons, and equipment.”
US sanctions are imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and normally take the form of blocking assets and trade restrictions. Hence, any assets held by the RDF in the US could be seized.
This dispute affects Mozambique because Rwanda is the country’s main ally in its fight against Islamic State-supported terrorists in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
US companies are key investors in Mozambique’s natural gas industry. The US EximBank is funding the Mozambique LNG project (operated by the French company TotalEnergies) for 4.7 billion USD.
A second gas project, Rovuma LNG, is operated by the US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil. But ExxonMobil has not yet taken its Final Investment Decision, and that may depend on improved security in Cabo Delgado, which in turn may depend on a continued Rwandan military presence.
The four Rwandan officers named in the sanctions decree include the RDF Chief of Staff Vincent Nyakarundi.
Nyakarundi visited the Rwandan troops in Cabo Delgado on 26 February. He also stopped in the provincial capital, Pemba, where he met with the Commander of the Mozambican Army, and then travelled to Mocímboa da Praia, the headquarters of Rwandan forces in the province.
It is not yet clear whether the US sanctions will have knock-on effects against Mozambique. But the close ties between the Mozambican and Rwandan militaries could put a US gun against Mozambique’s head.
Mozambique has been careful so far not to choose between Rwanda and the DRC
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo has called for dialogue between the parties in conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
At the heads of state summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, in February, Chapo held a bilateral meeting with his DRC counterpart Felix Tshisekedi, but here was no sign that this indicated any lessening in the ties between Mozambique and Rwanda.
Speaking at a closing press conference at the AU summit, Chapo insisted that the only way to solve the various armed conflicts raging on the continent, including that between Rwanda and the DRC, is through dialogue.
“Our position is always in favour of dialogue”, he declared. (MT)
