Investing.com -- The US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions today on two military commanders leading armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The action targets leaders of both the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Gustave Kubwayo, who commands an intelligence and special operations unit within FDLR, and John Imani Nzenze, an M23 commander and chief of intelligence. Both armed groups have been previously designated by the US and United Nations.
"President Trump has been clear that there is an urgent need to resolve the horrific conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States is committed to peace and prosperity in the region," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "Persistent violence by armed groups is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis and presents a threat to U.S. interests in the region."
FDLR formed in 2000 from remnants of ex-Rwandan Armed Forces and extremist militias that fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. The group funds its operations through civilian looting, unlawful taxation, kidnapping for ransom, and illegal logging in Virunga National Park. The Treasury first designated FDLR on January 3, 2013.
M23 currently occupies large portions of North and South Kivu provinces. The group controls Goma and Bukavu, provincial capitals it captured in January and February 2025. In April 2024, M23 seized Rubaya, a town central to coltan mining operations.
The United States expects the DRC to neutralize FDLR and affiliated groups. The government also expects Rwanda to withdraw its troops and military equipment from the DRC and end all support to M23, according to commitments in the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity signed on December 4, 2025.
The sanctions block all property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States or under control of US persons. All transactions by US persons involving blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a specific license.
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