The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Wednesday sanctioned Rwanda's Ministry of Defence and Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a Rwandan financial institution Treasury says has played a key role in facilitating Rwanda's support for the March 23 Movement, or M23, and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action makes good on President Trump's promise to hold Rwanda accountable for its commitments under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, and that Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC.

Treasury says M23 is a U.S.- and United Nations-designated armed group that has illegally seized territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. With support from Rwanda's security apparatus, including thousands of troops and military equipment, logistics and training, M23 has captured key population centers and mining areas, where Treasury says it has committed human rights abuses, subjected civilians to forced labor and fueled mass displacement. The U.S.-brokered Washington Accords were signed by the DRC and Rwandan heads of state on December 4, 2025. On October 12, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation announced itself as the successor to the Congo River Alliance.

The Ministry of Defence is the umbrella organization for Rwanda's security services, including the Rwanda Defence Force, which OFAC sanctioned on March 2, 2026. At the ministry's direction, Treasury says, the RDF has deployed thousands of troops across the DRC's North and South Kivu provinces, where they operate alongside M23 and supply it with equipment, supplies, logistical support and training. Treasury also says minerals from M23-held territory enter supply chains in Rwanda.

Zigama operates on behalf of Rwanda's security services and has facilitated payments to entities in China and other countries for weapons, ammunition and military equipment for the RDF, according to Treasury. A Zigama branch enabled gold from M23-controlled territory to be moved to Kigali, and the institution facilitated tens of millions of dollars in transactions for M23 and the Congo River Alliance. Both were designated under Executive Order 13413. All of their property and interests in property in the United States are blocked, and Treasury warns that violating the sanctions can bring civil or criminal penalties.