The United States announced on Monday, March 2, that it is imposing sanctions on Rwanda's military, specifically the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four officers, including army chief of staff Vincent Nyakarundi. This action stems from accusations that Rwanda has violated a peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of Congo by backing the M23 group, which has made significant territorial gains in the mineral-rich eastern DRC. The US stated that the RDF's continued support has enabled M23 to commit grave human rights abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians. The sanctions will freeze any US-held assets of the RDF and the targeted officers and prohibit financial transactions with them, with the US demanding the immediate withdrawal of RDF troops from eastern DRC. Rwanda has criticized the sanctions as unjustly targeting one party and misrepresenting the conflict's reality, while the DRC government expressed gratitude for the US action.