Sanctions Are Not Enough: What Accountability for Rwanda Should Really Look Like

For decades, the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been a theater of brutal violence, mass displacement, and human suffering. The world has watched as rebel groups, warlords, and foreign actors turned the mineral-rich provinces of North and South Kivu into zones of chaos. Yet, behind much of this instability lies a powerful state actor that continues to deny its role while reaping enormous benefits: the Rwandan government under President Paul Kagame.

Despite mounting evidence from the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and global media outlets, Kagame’s regime continues to receive diplomatic cover and international aid. The recent rounds of sanctions targeting a handful of individuals linked to the M23 rebel group are, at best, symbolic. At worst, they are a smokescreen—allowing Western powers to appear responsive while avoiding structural change.

This article explores what real accountability for Rwanda should look like, and why the international community must go beyond gestures and take meaningful action.

The Evidence Is Overwhelming

The Rwandan government has long denied its involvement in the conflict, branding allegations as “baseless” or “politically motivated.” But reports tell a very different story:

In 2022 and again in 2023, U.N. Group of Experts investigations confirmed that Rwandan troops crossed into Congolese territory to support M23 offensives. Rwandan military units directly participated in attacks and supplied weapons, uniforms, and intelligence to the rebel group.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented war crimes committed by M23, including mass executions, sexual violence, the recruitment of child soldiers, and ethnic targeting of Congolese civilians — all while Rwanda offered safe havens and logistical support.
In 2024, U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned members of the “Alliance Fleuve Congo,” including senior M23 figures. These individuals were directly tied to Rwandan intelligence operations.

Despite this, Kagame remains a favored ally of many Western nations, receiving military training from the U.S., aid from the UK, and praise from global institutions for his “efficiency” and “governance model.”

The Strategic Motives Behind Rwanda’s Interference

Rwanda’s interest in eastern Congo is not altruistic. It is calculated, and deeply rooted in the political economy of war:

Mineral Wealth: Eastern Congo holds vast deposits of coltan, gold, cassiterite, and cobalt — minerals essential to smartphones, electric vehicles, and modern electronics. Rwanda, with limited mineral resources of its own, has become a major global exporter of coltan. Much of it is smuggled through conflict zones controlled by M23 and funneled into Rwandan supply chains.
Territorial Buffer: By destabilising the DRC’s border regions, Rwanda seeks to create a buffer zone between itself and the perceived threat of hostile militias. But instead of diplomacy, it has opted for proxy warfare.
Regional Influence: Kagame’s regime has long pursued regional hegemony. By weakening the Congolese state and backing armed rebellions, Rwanda ensures that DRC remains too unstable to challenge its power or assert its full sovereignty.

Why Sanctions Aren’t Enough

While the sanctions imposed by the U.S., EU, and other bodies represent progress, they are insufficient for five key reasons:

1. They Target Individuals, Not Systems

Freezing assets and issuing travel bans for a few generals does not address the broader state machinery that supports M23. The Rwandan Defence Force (RDF), Kagame’s military apparatus, remains untouched and operational.

2. They Ignore the Economic Supply Chains

Multinational corporations continue to buy “clean” minerals exported from Rwanda without asking where they come from. Conflict minerals smuggled from DRC are laundered into legitimate supply chains, enriching both Rwanda’s economy and international corporations.

3. They Enable Kagame’s Propaganda

Kagame portrays these limited sanctions as unjust attacks on Rwandan sovereignty. His government, with a powerful PR machine, reframes accountability efforts as neocolonial interference — a narrative that resonates in some parts of Africa.

4. They Leave Military Assistance Intact

Countries like the U.S. and U.K. continue to train Rwandan military forces. This military aid indirectly strengthens the very institutions backing M23.

5. They Undermine Grassroots Peace Efforts

By failing to fully condemn Rwanda’s actions, the international community undermines the credibility of Congolese resistance movements and local defenders like Wazalendo, who have stopped M23 advances where UN peacekeepers have failed.

What Real Accountability Should Look Like

1. Suspend All Military Aid to Rwanda

Until Rwanda fully withdraws its forces and stops backing M23, all military aid — training programs, arms transfers, logistics support — must be frozen.

No country should fund or arm a government that enables terrorism across its borders.

2. Sanction the Mineral Supply Chains

Governments must target Rwandan mining companies, traders, and logistics firms that profit from stolen Congolese minerals.

Conflict minerals must be banned from international markets if routed through Rwanda.

3. Establish an International Tribunal

The crimes committed by M23 — with Rwandan support — qualify as crimes against humanity. A regional or international court should be created to hold perpetrators accountable.

Justice cannot be selective. Kagame’s role must be investigated and prosecuted where evidence allows.

4. Name Rwanda as the Aggressor in International Forums

Enough euphemisms. The African Union, United Nations, and regional blocs must stop calling this a “Congolese ethnic conflict.” It is a foreign-sponsored war.

Truth must precede reconciliation.

5. Support Local Resistance and Communities

Groups like Wazalendo have defended Congo where the world has failed. Their fight is legitimate. Their communities need humanitarian aid, infrastructure support, and international recognition.

Kagame’s Shield of Silence Must Be Broken

Paul Kagame has long benefited from the West’s double standards. While Congolese civilians bury their dead, Kagame attends Davos, gives TED Talks, and is hailed as a visionary leader.

This contradiction is not just morally bankrupt — it’s dangerous. It gives authoritarian leaders a blueprint for how to commit regional aggression with impunity.

Every day Rwanda avoids accountability, more Congolese lives are destroyed.

Justice Is the Path to Peace

The Congolese people are not asking for sympathy. They are demanding justice, sovereignty, and the right to live free from foreign interference. Sanctions, on their own, are a start — but only bold, sustained, and structural action will break the cycle of impunity.

Now is the time for the international community to act. Silence is complicity. Justice delayed is justice denied.

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